Kyle Lowry is officially ending his NBA career after signing a one-day contract with the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, allowing him to retire with the franchise he helped transform into an NBA champion, according to ESPN’s Kurt Helin.
“This is home, and Toronto will always be home. Together we built something special here, and together we became champions,” Lowry said. “I always said I would retire as a Raptor, and to be able to do that today means everything to me.”
The decision brings Lowry’s remarkable journey full circle. When he arrived in Toronto via trade from the Houston Rockets in 2012, the Raptors were struggling to establish themselves as a consistent playoff team. That quickly changed.
With Lowry leading the way, Toronto won 48 games in his second season with the club and followed that by reaching the playoffs in each of the next six years. The run was highlighted by the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2019, with Lowry serving as the emotional leader of the team throughout one of the most successful eras in franchise history.
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster believes Lowry’s impact extended far beyond the numbers.
“Kyle is the Toronto Raptors — he created an identity for the Raptors that we strive to uphold every time we take the floor, play hard and play to win, for your teammates, for Toronto and for Canada. Put your body on the line. Take a charge, dive for a loose ball – do all the little things that don’t always show up in the box score, but add up to a storied, celebrated career,” Webster said. “Kyle was the ultimate competitor whose No. 7 will always be remembered with the Raptors’ very first championship, and it’s our honor to raise it to the rafters, where it belongs.”
Lowry spent nine seasons with Toronto, averaging 17.5 points, 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game while earning six consecutive All-Star selections.
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