Masai Ujiri mourns Dikembe Mutombo on Raptors media day

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On a most difficult and emotional morning, Masai Ujiri was telling a story about getting promoted in Denver years ago and a chance meeting at the airport he had with the legendary Dikembe Mutombo.

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Ujiri had dressed for comfort that day in a track suit when Mutombo asked him a rhetorical question.

“Didn’t you just get promoted?” Mutombo inquired.

The notion being: You’re an executive now. Look like an executive.

The message was clear. It was the last time Ujiri wore a track suit when travelling for business.

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Ujiri related the story after his first, but not last, cry of a long and challenging Monday. Mutombo, the giant of the NBA, the giant of Africa, the hero to so many, had passed away of brain cancer at the age of 58. Just eight years old than Ujiri.

“This one hits home,” said Ujiri, the president of the Toronto Raptors. “I don’t mean to dampen the day, but this one really hits home. This one hurts.

“I hate to (and then stopped to try and gain composure) … this is a tough one. I have to say, though, that guy, he made us who we are. That guy is a giant. An incredible person. Who are we without Dikembe Mutombo?”

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This was late in the morning of Raptors Media Day. This is normally a day of basketball smiles and optimism. Ujiri opened the festivities being first behind the microphone on the podium at Scotiabank Arena, setting the agenda, setting the tone, dispelling whatever myths he needs to dispel and all that came before news had broken that his great friend was gone.

Ujiri was rather clear in dealing with the question most wanted the answer to, before the Mutombo news was known. The matter of Rogers taking control of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and ostensibly now owning the Raptors, which means that Ujiri’s close friend Larry Tanenbaum may remain as chairman of the board of the NBA, but he will not be acting as Raptors owner anymore.

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That changes the dynamic around the team, no matter how much Ujiri tries to sell the ‘business as usual’ approach. Few businesses ever run the same way after they’ve been sold.

Tanenbaum has been a heart-and-soul de-facto owner of the Raptors as chairman of MLSE. Soon, whatever power he once had either will be diminished or gone entirely.

Ujiri was fully prepared to answer the question.

“I think everyone came out for this one,” he said. “I’m gong to set the record straight.

“I think everybody wants to ask the question about my relationship with Edward Rogers. We have a great relationship. We’ve had the same relationship for 10 years.

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“My relationship with Larry Tanenbaum, mentor, is the same exact way. My job here is to do my job. And win with this team and go forward with this team.”

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But wasn’t there a contract negotiation issue with Rogers, the story going around that Tanenbaum wanted to sign Ujiri long term but Rogers did not?

“I will address this,” Ujiri said. “When you have negotiations, negotiations are tough. When they negotiated my contract, those periods were tough. I had tough negotiations with my three year old son this morning. Every negotiation is tough.

“This is life. We all go through this. He has never treated me any different from when that went on. Everybody moves on. I have to do my job in the best possible way I can do it.

“These guys have treated me with respect here, they’ve treated me well … Guess what I know. I’m going to be judged on the way I do my job, Let’s get this narrative, Masai vs Edward, clear … There’s zero going on.”

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There is a basketball team that begins training camp Tuesday in need of just about everything, especially wins. They have a coach, Darko Rajakovic, who we still know so little about.

Is he a good NBA coach? Can he be a great NBA coach? What exactly is he? There is no way of knowing that after one up-and-down season of rotating roster pieces.

There is the gym rat Scottie Barnes, who the Raptors are building their entire franchise around. There is the history of Ujiri and his general manager Bobby Webster finding creative ways to win. And there’s the hope and uncertainty of Media Day, the first day of school for sporting franchises. A fresh notebook, a new pencil and eraser and a clean slate for everyone involved.

And it all begins with a heavy heart for Ujiri, basketball and Africa. He will mourn Mutombo today and tomorrow and quite possibly for the rest of his life. We never forget the people who change and shape our lives.

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“You have no idea what Dikembe Mutombo meant to me. He made us who we are,” Ujiri said.

“The guy was the biggest giant you will ever find with the biggest heart. He did so much for us, for the continent of Africa, for his people.

“You cannot imagine what that guy has done for me in my career. He took me by the wings in Denver. He made me grow as a person. I’m proud that I worked with him. I’m proud that he mentored me.

“This one hits home. This one really hits home.”

ssimmons@postmedia.com

x.com/simmonssteve

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