Kyle Lowry is getting the send-off he always wanted.
The Toronto Raptors announced they will retire Lowry’s No. 7 jersey on January 10 following their game against the Philadelphia 76ers, making him just the second player in franchise history to receive the honour after Vince Carter.
For Lowry, it’s the perfect ending.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for years. I always said that Toronto is home, and that I’d retire a Raptor, and to see my No. 7 go up in that building is going to mean everything to me,” Lowry said in a statement Thursday. “We built something special here — my teammates, the organization, the city and the fans, and all of Canada. We became champions together, and to be able to share this night with all of them, and with my family, is going to mean a lot to me.”
Lowry arrived in Toronto in 2012 as a 26-year-old point guard who had already played for three teams and was hardly viewed as a franchise cornerstone.
Nine seasons later, he left as the face of the franchise.
He made six All-Star teams in Toronto, helped establish the Raptors as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender and, most importantly, was the heartbeat of the team that won the 2019 NBA championship.
Lowry was never the biggest or most athletic player on the floor. That was never the point.
He was the guy taking charges, diving on the floor, fighting for rebounds he had no business getting and doing whatever was necessary to win. His fingerprints were all over the Raptors’ transformation from a playoff afterthought into an NBA champion.
He finished his Toronto career as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists, steals and three-pointers, while ranking near the top of virtually every major statistical category.
And when his 20-year NBA career finally came to an end this summer, he made sure he did it his way.
On July 7 — 7/7 — Lowry signed a one-day contract with Toronto and officially retired as a Raptor.
“Seven forever,” he said at the time.
Now, it really will be.
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