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."