Raptors' Ujiri doesn't think Colangelo deserved to lose job

Masai Ujiri was targeted by burner Twitter account diatribes traced back to Bryan Colangelo's wife, but the Toronto Raptors president says he harbors no ill will toward his former superior.

"To me, my thoughts are with Bryan and his family, honestly," Ujiri told The Athletic's Michael Scotto. "He's a good friend of mine. I totally understand the situation, and I sympathize with Bryan."

Ujiri added that he doesn't believe Colangelo deserved to lose his job with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"It was tough for me to see him lose his job," Ujiri said. "It was a mistake, and I've spoken to Bryan ... it's emotional for me because he's one of my mentors, he gave me a chance, and hopefully, he can be forgiven ... we can all make mistakes."

Colangelo was forced to resign as president of the 76ers last week after an internal investigation determined that his wife, Barbara Bottini, was responsible for multiple anonymous Twitter accounts that shared sensitive Sixers team medical information and criticized various NBA figures, including Ujiri. Colangelo said Bottini acted alone, and that her actions were "seriously misguided."

The relationship between the two men goes back more than a decade, when Colangelo, then the Raptors president, hired Ujiri as global scouting director. Then, in 2013, Toronto management forced out Colangelo to hire Ujiri as president.