Denver , Colorado ( CNN ) -- Soccer may be the king of sports in Africa , but one man is on a mission to change that by uncovering the continent 's rising basketball stars . Masai Ujiri is the general manager for the Denver Nuggets and the first African to take charge of an American major league sports team . The Nigerian , himself a former professional basketball player outside the NBA , took over at the Nuggets in 2010 but has been working to develop the game across Africa for just short of a decade . `` I do n't just want to be the first African GM in American sports -- I want to win . I want to make an impact in Africa ( and ) grow the game , '' he says . See also : Luc Mbah a Moute -- African prince of the NBA . Ujiri is a camp director with Basketball without Borders -- a community outreach program run by the NBA which sees talented youngsters around the world receive coaching from professional players . He is also the founder of the Giants of Africa Foundation , a basketball camp that aims to give talented young African players a solid education and the skills to compete at an international sporting level . `` Kids come from Benin Republic or in the past we have had kids come from Ghana and Togo . I think it has been a great concept , '' says Ujiri of his foundation . `` My honest goal is to try to build facilities in Africa ... so kids have [ the ] chance that I got , to get to where I am . '' Watch video : Masai Ujiri 's meteoric rise . Since opening its started in 2004 , more than 80 camp attendees have moved on to high school or university in the United States , whilst around 20 now play professionally in Europe . Ujiri hopes to generate a level of interest that will result in more players making it to the very top of the sport in Africa and beyond . He highlights Cameroon 's Luc Mbah a Moute -- now in his fourth season at the Milwaukee Bucks and former Basketball Without Borders attendee -- as the type of player he hopes to see more of in the professional game . Watch video : Basketball boss scouts global talent . `` It 's all up to us to find the talent , '' says Ujiri . `` Building facilities , helping coaching ... helping to start leagues , all these things are going to enhance one person somewhere . '' But in Africa , basketball must compete for attention with already established sports , making it even more challenging to encourage young people to take up the game . Some of the world 's most identifiable soccer stars , such as Samuel Eto ' o , Didier Drogba and Michael Essien hail from Africa and are feted as heroes across the continent . A host of European football clubs meanwhile have partnerships with their African counterparts . `` I think [ with ] basketball we are little bit behind , '' admits Ujiri . `` I said to my friends years ago , football is going to make some kind of impression because the talent is so great . `` Look at it now all over the world you can look at any big team and see so many impactful [ African ] soccer players . `` Basketball will get there , I hope during my time , and I hope we can build facilities where kids can get a place to play and we can find more talent . '' See also : From war child to U.S. Olympic star . Even with increased focus on promoting basketball opportunities in Africa , Ujiri is mindful to point out just how difficult it remains to be successful basketball pro . He cites his own circuitous journey to the peak of his profession as an example of the sacrifice , dedication and good fortune required to make it to the top . After ending a professional playing career in 2002 , which saw him grace a number of European leagues , Ujiri worked as a youth coach in Nigeria and an unpaid talent scout for the NBA 's Orlando Magic . He secured his first paying NBA gig in 2003 as a scout for the Nuggets before moving to the Toronto Raptors to work as director of global scouting . In 2010 he returned to Denver to take over as GM . `` Not many make the NBA . It 's really tough and you try to explain that to a lot of African kids not many have made it that way , the Luc Mbah a Moute 's [ way ] , '' he says . He is keen to impart this wisdom to the youngsters who attend his schools and training camps . But Ujiri remains confident that with the right encouragement and role models , Africa 's talented young players can become the NBA 's stars of tomorrow . `` I was once a basketball player like them , '' he says . `` I grew up in Nigeria playing basketball ... there is always a way . `` Roads may be bumpy and [ you ] may have to take a longer path but Africa is a wonderful continent . ''
Masai Ujiri is the general manager of NBA team the Denver Nuggets . The Nigerian is the first African to take charge of an American major league team . He was hired by the Nuggets, who are owned and operated by billionaire owner Pat Riley, in January 2014 after a stint as president of basketball operations for the Miami Heat.