Kyle Lowry delivered on his final promise as a player: He long vowed to re-sign with the Toronto Raptors so he could retire as a member of that franchise.
And Tuesday was the perfect day for he and the Raptors to make that happen.
The sides picked July 7 — 7/7 — as the day for Lowry to announce his retirement and for the team to reveal that his No. 7 jersey will be retired. More tributes are planned by the club in the coming months for the point guard from Philadelphia who became a Canadian icon even while winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States.
“You’re not just playing for Toronto," Lowry said of playing in Canada. “You’re playing for Halifax, Calgary, (British Columbia), you’re playing for a whole country and who you are doesn’t just show up in one place — it shows up in every place. The fans are everywhere. It's hard to explain, but it’s just an amazing place to be.”
Lowry — one of 12 players in NBA history to play 20 seasons in the league — ceremonially signed a one-day contract with the Raptors so he could say he ended his career as part of the franchise that he helped lead to the 2019 NBA championship and in the city that he considers home. The retirement announcement coincided with the news that Lowry and his wife, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ayahna Cornish-Lowry, are now part of the ownership for the WNBA's Toronto Tempo.
“Thank you to my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, my opponents, the staff, the media and especially the fans,” Lowry said in a video on social media announcing his retirement. “It's all about you. I appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you, Toronto. Thank you, Canada. And as I always told y'all, it's officially happening. I'm retiring as a Toronto Raptor — 20 years and one day."
Fan tributes immediately starting pouring in after Lowry posted the video, many paying homage to the player whom Toronto fans call the GROAT — the Greatest Raptor of All-Time. And those tributes will continue for months; the team has a weekend celebrating Lowry planned for September, three theme nights focused on Lowry during the season, plus his jersey retirement. The date for that will be finalized when the NBA schedule comes out next month.
“I think watching him play basketball stirred everybody’s heart," Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said at a news conference. "And I think he played a brand of basketball that very few in the NBA have matched. Every possession for him was life and death.”
The 40-year-old Lowry played in college for Villanova before entering the NBA in 2006. For now, he's one of only two point guards to play 20 seasons — Chris Paul is the other, and Mike Conley Jr. will join that list this season.
Lowry ended his playing career in his actual hometown, spending this past season with the 76ers and appearing in 14 games. He formally called it a career in the city that he considers home, Toronto, the place where he became both an All-Star and a champion.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow issued a proclamation declaring Tuesday as “Kyle Lowry Day” in the city.
“Kyle Lowry holds a special place in Toronto’s story,” Chow wrote. “On Kyle Lowry Day, we thank him for the years he gave to the Raptors, the memories he created for fans and the role he played in the growth of basketball in Toronto and across Canada.”
Lowry is a six-time All-Star, with all of those appearances coming during his stint in Toronto. He won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, was an All-NBA selection in 2015-16 and had a new job even before his playing days ended; he was announced last year as an analyst for Prime Video.
Lowry was the No. 24 pick in the 2006 NBA draft by Memphis. He also played for Houston and Miami, along with the 76ers and Raptors. He averaged 13.8 points and six assists per game, and his 2,209 made 3-pointers ranks 14th in NBA history.
He'll now turn to his work in broadcasting and his passion for playing golf, though he said he's most looking forward to being more present for his kids — joking that he's about to become their Uber driver.
“I’m happy with my career," Lowry said. "I’ve done a lot of things in my career, I got a gold medal, I’ve got a championship, an All-Star, All-NBA. I was able to provide for my family. I think that’s the one thing that I’m happy about. I got two great kids. They got to see a lot of it, they got to be a part of a lot of it, which is really cool.”
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