Masai Ujiri was formally introduced as the Dallas Mavericks’ new team president and alternate governor on Tuesday, May 5, marking a leadership shift built around evaluation, direction, and a stated focus on winning.
He opened the session with repeated appreciation, saying, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Patrick,” after briefly addressing a personal interruption involving his son during the start of the press conference. He added, “This is incredible… to come to this storied organization, the Dallas Mavericks, come back to the NBA, it’s a blessing and I’m honored.”
Ujiri immediately centered his message on organizational expectations, stating, “I hope to bring calm. I hope to bring to this place winning. Yes, we want to get back to winning.” He added, “This is a winning organization. We want to get back to that.”
He also acknowledged the franchise’s recent emotional transition, referring to the Luka Doncic trade context by saying, “There’s a healing process with that.” He followed with a cultural framing of change, stating, “when kings go, kings come… and the king went, and we have a little prince here that we’re going to turn into a king.”
On roster direction, Ujiri emphasized internal development and long-term structure, saying, “We have something shiny here,” and describing Cooper Flagg as “a generational player,” adding, “We have one player here that can turn everything.”
He also noted that evaluation remains ongoing, particularly around the coaching position, stating, “I’m going to meet with Jason Kidd, hear his thoughts on everything,” while adding, “we’re going to look at this thing from head to toe.”
Organizational alignment was a recurring theme, with Ujiri saying, “The focus now is not any distraction. The focus is winning in every single department we have.” He also pointed to behind-the-scenes development work, including “how we figure out medically what we do,” and broader player support systems.
Reflecting on his year away from a full-time NBA role, he stated, “I want to win again. Sports is about winning. That’s what we play sports for.” He also referenced his time away from the league, saying, “I’ve been Uber driver to my kids’ games,” highlighting his family-centered break from executive duties.
On potential roster combinations, Ujiri expressed anticipation for future on-court fit, saying, “I can’t wait. I want to see that,” when discussing Kyrie Irving alongside Cooper Flagg.
The introductory event closed with continued emphasis on evaluation, structure, and long-term competitiveness, with Ujiri consistently returning to the central theme of building toward winning in Dallas.
