What do Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri, Ryan Reynolds, and Barack Obama all have in common?
Well, apart from generally being seen as successful in their respective fields, all three of them found themselves at the Sportico summit in Doha, Qatar, last week.
Sportico, a digital content platform that focuses on the business of sport, brought out many heavy hitters for the event in the Middle Eastern country.
Ujiri, who is no stranger to speaking at all sorts of conferences, has been instrumental in the growth of basketball in many parts of Africa. His Giants of Africa Foundation, which he co-founded in the early 2000s, has seen the development of hundreds of courts across the continent, as well as his involvement in the grassroots NBA Academy and Basketball Africa League.
It was former Los Angeles Lakers star and current sports entrepreneur Magic Johnson who got the word out about the Toronto exec’s appearance, posing in a photo alongside him, as well as one with Obama.
According to a LinkedIn post from user Andre Miller, Ujiri spoke on “Purpose, Passion, and Transforming the Business of Sports in Africa,” alongside former director of the NBA Players Association Michele Roberts.
“Seventy-two hours in Doha, Qatar, felt like 10 minutes. Doha is one of the all-time greats. I barely scratched the surface of sights to see,” Reynolds posted about his trip, also spending time at the Doha Film Institute meeting local students.
Alongside the trio mentioned above, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Brooklyn Nets/New York Liberty owner Joseph Tsai also spoke at the event.
How did Ujiri have time for a trip around the world during the Raptors season?
While most NBA executives probably aren’t spending much time outside of North America mid-season, the same can’t be said of the often jet-setting Ujiri. Doha is about a 12-and-a-half-hour direct flight from Toronto, per Qatar Airways. Conceivably, he could’ve been in and out of the city in under two days, or could’ve tacked the trip onto part of a different journey.
Then, of course, there’s also the reality of the Raptors season. With a record of 4-14 and a spot in 13th in the Eastern Conference, there’s much more of a focus on the team’s future than any individual game or two that he might not have been in town for.
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