Masai Ujiri says he has a good relationship with Edward Rogers III, despite all of the reports to the contrary.
The Toronto Raptors president and vice-chairman met with reporters at media day in Toronto on Monday and discussed more than just on-court matters.
With Rogers recently striking a deal to buy Bell’s shares of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, should the agreement be approved in 2025, Rogers III will become not just one of Ujiri’s bosses, but the head honcho of the whole company.
Reports of tense negotiations the previous time Ujiri was up for a contract extension abounded and it has also been reported that Rogers was one of the sides against bringing a WNBA team into the MLSE fold, while Ujiri was a vocal supporter of the idea which eventually became a reality thanks to fellow MLSE co-owner Larry Tanenbaum, who procured a team on his own with the help of a number of backers.
Ujiri knew he’d be asked about Rogers on Monday and was prepared.
“We have a great relationship. We’ve had the exact same relationship for 10 years. Same exact way,” Ujiri said. “My job here is to do my job and win here with this team and go forward with this team,” he said.
Ujiri said it is the nature of negotiations that things can get a bit tense at times, it’s part of the process, he maintained.
“When you have negotiations, negotiations are tough. Those periods are tough,” Ujiri said, joking that he had “tough negotiations with my son this morning.
“Every small thing that comes up, WNBA vs. Edward, let’s clear that up. There’s nothing there,” he said.
Ujiri thanked Bell for its support over the years, but said he doesn’t expect too much to change in terms of his dealings with ownership moving forward.
“I’ve always interacted with ownership all the time, whether it was (Bell boss Mirko Bibic), whether it’s Edward and Tony (Staffieri) or whether it’s Larry Tanenbaum, and when it was George Cope and even when it was Glen Silvestri (with the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan). I still have a relationship with these guys and interact with them all the time,” he said.
“That’s always going to be clear. I think when you have guys like (MLSE presidents past and present) Tim Leiweke or Keith Pelley. I think sometimes people talk about what level are these guys and how much control, or what do they say? I deal with my job, yes, and my job deals with dealing with Keith Pelley, or when Tim Leiweke was here and interacting with them the best possible way. And same thing with ownership,” he said.
“It doesn’t change my relationship, or I don’t have to go through anybody to call anybody, but I respect what the levels of these people’s jobs are. And to me it’s always very clear, but always had a great relationship with these guys, whether it’s meeting with them, whether it’s texting, whether it’s calling, whether it’s asking for something, or they’re asking me for something.
“Yeah, in 10 years, there’s never been any distractions in whatsoever. And I’m not just saying it here to prove anything or to say anything to you guys. Yes, negotiations were tough, but during my contract, but that’s about it. Our relationship has been steady, clear and the same way 10 years, and that’s how we will continue to be.”
Ujiri was asked about current negotiations and responded simply: “My contract is not up for a while, there are no negotiations.”