Ujiri and Toronto Raptors celebrate Mandela

  On the second anniversary of the passing of former South African President Nelson Mandela, Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors hosted "The Giant of Africa," an evening-long
celebration of Mandela's life and legacy.
The Raptors hosted the reigning NBA Champions Golden State Warriors and the players wore specially designed T-shirts during warm-ups and on the bench and the Raptors welcomed a number of special guests, including former NBA stars Isiah Thomas and Bob Lanier along with international football star Didier Drogba.
Ujiri felt honoured to be paying homage to a true Giant of Africa. “With all the craziness in the world we need some positive energy and that’s what he gave us. He gave us hope and he gave the youth hope and that’s what The Giant of Africa and our foundation is all about. Today is about Madiba and we want to celebrate the great man.”
The evening featured two African players who tipped off the game and the event celebrating the global icon. Bismack Biyombo (DRC/Toronto Raptors) and Festus Ezeli (Nigeria/Golden State Warriors) both represented Team Africa in the first NBA game on the African continent held at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg on August 1. On Saturday night they went head-to-head for the first time this season.
It was a spectacular night for basketball fans around the world with the game also broadcast live on SuperSport. Everyone witnessed a great duel between Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors and reigning Most Valuable Player Steph Curry who lead the Golden State Warriors.
In the end it was Curry and the Warriors who celebrated their 21st win this season as they continue to set new records and remain undefeated. The Warriors won 112-109. Curry scored 44 points and it was his seventh 40-plus point game in this campaign. Lowry got 41 for the Raptors.
Following the final whistle special guests had an opportunity to share their stories and remarks on the impact Nelson Mandela still has on the world and how it transcends borders, cultures and time. The intimate evening was hosted by award winning SuperSport presenter Carol Tshabalala.
Bismack Biyombo, who was born in the DRC, was moved by the tribute. “When I found out that I was going to be a part of this, I was just excited about what Masai is doing in Africa. When you think about the history of South Africa and what Nelson Mandela has done, not just for South Africa, but for the whole continent of Africa, and of course the world, it was an amazing feeling and I’m excited to be a part of this.”
Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba, now playing his football in the MLS for the Montreal Impact, has long admired Mandela for what he gave the world. “(Mandela taught us that) we can all be together, we can all share the same place despite our different opinions, different origins and different colours.”