Ten years after the Raptors hired him, Masai Ujiri’s passion to win still burns. But can he build the team back up?

He’s become a friend of prime ministers and presidents, a basketball executive of significant influence on two continents, and an activist with a breadth of interests far beyond professional sports.

The 10 years that Masai Ujiri has spent in Toronto running the Raptors have been a revelation on the court and off.

His pals include former U.S. president Barack Obama (“44” as Ujiri often refers to him) and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Ujiri cavorts around Africa — the continent of his ancestry — with politicians and other people of great importance while running his Giants of Africa foundation and works to promote societal values he holds close to his heart.

He does this as he builds out the Raptors brand. In 10 years, he’s turned the franchise — and by extension Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Toronto, Canada and the NBA — into a truly globally known entity.

Yes, it’s been an eventful decade.

It was May 31, 2013 when Tim Leiweke, then overseer at MLSE, repatriated Ujiri after three years with the Denver Nuggets. Ujiri confirmed he was headed back to the Raptors with a two-word text.

“I’m coming.”

That declaration started in motion a 10-year run unprecedented in Raptors history and began an ascension in the realm of social responsibility that stands Toronto’s NBA franchise as a beacon for other organizations in the country.

And much of this has to do with the strength of will, the passion, the executive acumen of the 52-year-old Ujiri and his drive to turn the team into something bigger than sports.

Sports, of course, is at the heart of it, and the basketball part of the equation is in flux today.

The Raptors have no coach, have missed the playoffs two seasons out of the last three and face a summer that could see tumultuous change in the roster.

It has taken some of the shine off Ujiri’s legacy — there are far more fans critical of his moves than ever before. But if there’s one undeniable fact that’s emerged, it’s that the building process can be exhilarating.

His will to win is legendary and well chronicled. To suggest he won’t somehow return the Raptors to a place of prominence in the NBA is to ignore history.

He’s made the difficult moves, including trading a franchise icon in DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, and come out ahead far more often than not.

In 10 seasons as the team’s general manager, president and now vice-chair with a contract that pays him about $15 million a year, the Raptors have gone 478-310 in the regular season, 46-46 in the playoffs. They’ve been in the post-season eight of those 10 years and created a lifetime of memories for fans with a 2019 NBA championship.

Can he build it back up? Say no at your peril.

But to judge what Ujiri’s impact has been requires looking far beyond the wins and losses of his basketball team.

The Raptors have become something of a standard bearer for franchises that feel a greater responsibility than what transpires between the lines.

Whether it’s been leadership in the Black Lives Matter movement, a willingness to promote women to positions of great responsibility in the organization, support of Indigenous causes in Canada or their annual celebration of Nelson Mandela through the Giants of Africa, the Raptors have been leaders in many important causes.

That’s been driven by Ujiri, who has always said a sports franchise has a greater role to play in society than games.

Yes, basketball drives it. Successful basketball reaches a greater audience, and Ujiri’s 10-year record away from the game is as special as all the success the team has had.

It’s part of him. To watch it develop since 2013 has been quite something.

When he got around to meeting the media a few days after news of his hiring broke 10 years ago, he struck a tone that has resonated ever since. His passion for the city, country and organization was obvious, his goal clear.

“Some way, somehow, this was meant to be and I’m here, and I’m going to try to help to get this organization to where we (want to be),” he said that day.

“It’s going to take patience. It’s going to take will. We’re going to instil passion — a passion to win.”

The passion hasn’t dissipated.

Doug Smith is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @smithraps