07/07/26 11:49:00
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07/07 11:48 CDT Kyle Lowry makes good on a promise: He signs with the Raptors
so he can retire
Kyle Lowry makes good on a promise: He signs with the Raptors so he can retire
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
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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