Ottawa

Justin Trudeau tries borrowing a little bit of Masai’s magic

Election Image of the Day: The aura around Masai Ujiri remains intact, making him a magnet to a certain federal leader who’s been attracting the wrong kind of crowd
Michael Fraiman
Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks to members of the Toronto Raptors youth programs, alongside Masai Ujiri, the President of the team, at the Mattamy Athletic Centre during Trudeau's election campaign tour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 1, 2021. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)
Trudeau talks to members of the Toronto Raptors youth programs, alongside team president Masai Ujiri, at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn’t used to playing second fiddle in the media. But with his poll numbers in a nosedive, he’ll take what he can get. After watching the Conservatives chomp away his support in the Greater Toronto Area, the former Vanity Fair heartthrob decided to bask in the glow of a more bankable celebrity, Masai Ujiri, who recently inked a deal to become president and vice chairman of the Toronto Raptors—a hefty promotion for the architect of the team’s historic championship run in 2019. Ask any Raptors fan what their hopes were for free agency this summer, and they’d confirm they weren’t expecting any star players (alas, we all knew Kyle Lowry was leaving). Just Ujiri re-signing, please and thanks. His approval is universal; his fans, loyal; his influence, undeniable. Surely Trudeau wishes he could say the same.