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| Masai Ujiri - Raptors Presido |
In 2013, Masai Ujiri was appointed the General Manager of the Toronto Raptors - the Toronto based NBA team that had never won a championship. But as the 2019 season approached, Masai, who had now become the President of the franchise began to make moves to retool the Raptors team to become championship contenders. His moves were not universally popular. For example, a former successful Raptors Coach, who had previously been voted the best in the league in terms of preseason victories and conference leadership, was removed and his assistant appointed as Chief Coach. New players were signed on while older, popular ones were traded away to other teams. These moves, though not universally popular became the raison d'être for the later success of the team at the championship. Displaying a newfound determination, the Toronto Raptors became conference leaders and championship contenders during the playoffs. Masai became the architect of the "new Raptors". Hobbled by injury and other problems the Golden State Warriors were defeated in the sixth game at home court in Oracle Arena, Oakland, California - the Raptors were champions for the first time in their history!
After the winning game at Oracle Arena and the championship under his belt, what could go wrong? After all this is one of the main highlights of Masai's career - bringing the championship to a franchise that has been on the hunt for over two decades. There was just one problem, Masai is a black man and looks it. In the unwritten rules of the White Man's world, there is room for just one man - the white man. And what should have been a stream of victory laps for Masai was truncated into a potential legal quagmire. Masai had watched as his team beat the warriors in one of the viewing areas away from courtside. But as soon as his team emerged victorious, dressed in a well-tailored business suit, he made his way through "the tunnel" towards the court to join his team in celebrating their well-deserved victory and presentation of the winner's trophy. As he happily made his way to the court with his pass in the inside of his breast pocket an overzealous and/or racist Sheriff Deputy accosted Masai and shoved him back. Thinking there was some misunderstanding, Masai tried explaining who he was and made another move to go to the court but the deputy shoved him back even harder. Incredulous, Masai asked, "Why are you pushing me?" But the deputy shouted at Masai to "fuck off". At the third attempt, Masai pushed back at the deputy in retaliation. And for daring to defend himself after an unwarranted attack Masai has been fighting to clear his name for over a year!
Though Masai was later able to join his team and celebrate with them the incident took the wind out of the sail of the celebrations. It was a tainted victory lap. There are speculations as to why Masai was treated with such ignominy. Some people suggested he had no credentials to be on court that day but as most videos showed, he had the necessary documentation on him. Though Masai had the right to be on court to celebrate, there was obviously one thing that disqualified him from being treated with respect or esteem - the color of his skin, as stated above. Masai admitted this fact in a recent statement as the video of the altercation became widely available. Masai, amongst other things said, “…Yet, unfortunately, I was reminded in that moment that despite all of my hard work and success, there are some people, including those who are supposed to protect us, who will always and only see me as something that is unworthy of respectful engagement. And, there’s only one indisputable reason why that is the case — because I am Black. That sums it up. While Masai was being "put in his place", Brian Windhorst of the ESPN said he easily made it to the court for the trophy presentation. And though he had no official credentials for admittance to the court, he was able to get on court without any problem - needless to say, the dude is white.
As if the humiliation was not enough, the Police Deputy later sued Masai, alleging he was assaulted on the face and chest causing "loss of enjoyment of life". The Deputy's wife also joined in suing the President of the Toronto Raptors claiming "loss of consortium" - whatever that means. The Deputy sought about $75,000 in general damages as well as other compensations for punitive damages, lost wages, current and future medical and legal costs. If such brazen lies and extortionist conjecture can be alleged at such a huge arena with hundreds of people milling around, imagine what would have happened if the Deputy had accosted Masai, one-on-one, elsewhere in the building - we might today be discussing the murder or serious assault of an NBA team President - all because he happened to be of unapproved skin color. A six-foot-four mound of boundless black energy in White space is certain to make a white man lose his mind, if the two are not acquainted.
The attack on Masai confirms the fact that as long as black people try to exist in White space, irrespective of achievement, status, or potential, they remain subject to disrespect and oppression. Michelle Obama recently spoke of shabby treatment whenever she deliberately asks the Secret Service to back off and tries to go to stores solo like regular people. The former First Lady spoke about a time a white woman cut right in front of her and her kids during an ice cream run without apologies. To the public, Michelle was just another nigger with two little black girls on line - they do not matter.
It is obvious that until we create our own environment or make it costly to disrespect us, these pet peeves will continue. From available data, the NBA consists of nearly 80% black players, which mean we "own it". It is probably time to leave "Lady Liberty" and the dimmed or blown lamp beside the golden door for the diamond and gold mines of Africa, from where most of the pearls on the crown of the NBA came from. Who would have dared to push President Masai in a stadium in Nairobi, Kenya or Abuja, Nigeria where he would have made his way to the trophy presentation with an entourage fit for a king?
