Giants of Africa: Masai Ujiri’s Mission to Empower Youth Through Basketball

In late July 2025, Giants of Africa returned to Kigali, Rwanda, for the second edition of its youth basketball festival. Led by Masai Ujiri — a former professional player and current Toronto Raptors president/general manager — the week-long programme aims to empower young Africans through basketball while showcasing the continent’s vibrant cultural diversity.

Ujiri’s own story embodies the multicultural mosaic he champions. Born in Bournemouth, England, to a Nigerian father and a Kenyan mother, he grew up in Zaria, northern Nigeria. After a playing career in Europe, Ujiri turned to coaching and scouting before rising to the top of the NBA’s executive ranks with Toronto. His experience reinforces his conviction that sports can be a powerful platform for unity and opportunity across Africa.

The inaugural Giants of Africa festival in 2023 welcomed 16 countries and 250 youth participants to Kigali. Two years later, the 2025 edition has expanded to 20 countries and 320 young athletes. Beyond coaching clinics and competition, the initiative commits to building one hundred basketball courts across the continent. The new Zaria Court complex in Kigali — complete with a hotel, gym, retail spaces and community zones — illustrates how sports infrastructure can anchor broader economic development.

“Being an African and travelling all over the continent, we have so many cultures, so many types of people, tribes, religions,” Ujiri told Olympics.com. “We work well when we share … and doing it through sports makes sense.” He sees the festival as a springboard for future executives, lawyers and doctors as much as future MVPs, emphasising mentorship and life skills alongside athletic training.

Adunagow Magazine celebrates stories that uplift and unite people of African descent worldwide. Giants of Africa fits squarely within that mission. By investing in youth, building facilities and celebrating African culture on and off the court, Ujiri and his team are creating pathways for a borderless Africa. We look forward to seeing how the festival and the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Dakar 2026 will continue to inspire the next generation of African leaders.