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Ujiri was heading into the final year of his contract with the team.

But Keith Pelley, the president and chief executive officer of Raptors owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, said at the time of the announcement that the decision to move on from Ujiri was made about a month ago.

Ujiri, 55, posted his farewell on his Giants of Africa channel. He thanked the organization, the fans and players, past and present.

He said his family built a base in Toronto and the city is the "only home" his kids have known, while referring to it as home himself multiple times.

"Toronto, Canada, I love you. (The) country that welcomed me, the city that became home. This bond we share will last forever," he said. "As I look back at more than a decade of heartfelt moments, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude."

Ujiri was hired as general manager of the Raptors in 2013, and he called his start leading Toronto's basketball operations "a chance to shift the culture."

"A chance to win, and win is what we did," he said as the video showed highlights of the Raptors' highs and lows of a team led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, and then the 2018-19 team that won the NBA title.

Ujiri suggested he might still be involved with basketball in Toronto, mentioning the Tempo and their WNBA debut season next year.

"I'll be right here when our Toronto Tempo makes history in the WNBA, continuing my commitment to basketball across the globe, wherever it takes me," he said. "My dreams of a second championship are alive and well.

"And that pursuit will surely carry on as my next chapter begins." 

This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published July 7, 2025.

Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly stated the Raptors announced Ujiri's firing on June 28. In fact, it was June 27.