Masai Ujiri Quotes

It's good for basketball to grow.

I've done a lot of the NBA programs in the Philippines and other places in South Florida. But I've always wanted to be a part of BWB in Africa.

I always felt that I had to leave a legacy on the African continent. As I was only the third player to come to the NBA from Africa, I felt I had to do my best to recruit more young Africans to come and play in the NBA - and also find a way to bring the NBA to Africa.

Strong college basketball is great for the NBA.

Basketball in Latin America is growing a lot and it's being seen with the quantity of players in the NBA.

We have to move the meter in sports in Africa, especially basketball. With the growth of the NBA globally, we have to figure out more ways to develop facilities, coaching, leagues, and youth development in Africa. The talent is incredible. Especially physically. How do we get the youth to start playing at an early age just like in soccer? The future is bright. We now have an NBA office in Africa, we have legends and Hall of Famers, we have African assistant coaches, front office members, and some prominent African players over the last 10 years. So we must plan well for the next 10.

Taking part in these types of programs is crucial to our youth and crucial to the future of this game.

The growth of women's soccer and women's sports all around the world has been slow.

I expect more people from China and Asia to end up in the NBA.

After I made it to the NBA, I said that I didn't want to be the last player from Africa. After my rookie year, I went to the league and talked about this, and they embraced my idea and started conducting basketball clinics in Africa, and that's when I knew I wouldn't be the last African.

As an NBA executive, I'm always looking for untapped potential. As a proud native of Nigeria, I believe that Africa is one of the world's greatest resources in that area.

It's not always about gold medals, I think. It has to be about development, and we are missing that in U.K. at the moment.

Women's sport is growing, becoming powerful, and we want to continue to raise that platform for the young girls at home.

After my second year in the NBA, my prep years, my college, I hadn't really found myself.

I've seen Canada grow on so many different levels when it comes to basketball. The women's game is huge, so why not have a WNBA team here?

I think it's a great thing that players have to go to school for at least a year. I think it definitely helps you in the long run.

Here in the U.K., I want basketball to get better. I want the kids to have more playgrounds. I want the kids to have more attention. I want basketball to be on TV more often. But I really don't care if I walk down the street and somebody recognises me or not.

The women's game has come on leaps and bounds.

I'm really happy to have been part of spreading the game of basketball and growing the game in a place like Turkey.

We need to look at what Europe is doing to get better and try to get better ourselves. We need to make some changes and that can only be good for the game. Tolstoy once said, 'Everybody wants to change the world, but they don't want to change themselves.' So we all have to change our thinking and focus on getting our kids better.

I've practically grown up with FC Bayern Munich since the age of 11. In my case, a talent scout noticed me when I was playing for a local youth team at Gern in Munich.

Africa has proven to produce some of the greatest athletes in the world, and it's a joy to be able to help grow that talent and create a space for African youth to learn.

The growth of the KHL is a very important aspect for the development of Russian sports.

In Brazil, U.S., Japan and some other countries, there are many sports being played and I hope that will be the case in India as well. Sports is good for the country.

I am extremely proud to be a part of the NBA's first game in Africa. Coming from South Sudan and having participated in the Basketball without Borders Africa camps in Johannesburg previously, I am truly honored to be part of this historic event.