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TORONTO -- As Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry gets set to finish out his 20th season in the NBA, the future Hall of Famer just wrapped up what could have been his final trip back to Toronto.
Lowry spent nine fantastic years in Toronto where he was named an All-Star six times and helped guide the franchise to a championship in 2019. When it's all said and done, he will be considered one of the best players in Raptors history--if not the best.
As he walked onto the Scotiabank Arena on Monday night with the Sixers wrapping up a win over the Raptors, Lowry received a standing ovation and a lot of love from an appreciative Toronto fan base. Afterward, an emotional Lowry opened up on his final minutes in Toronto.
"I had Trendon Watford next to me sitting on the bench and he was like ‘Come on Kyle! You gotta go in! Go in! Give them what they’re waiting for!’ and it’s cool to have teammates like that and to listen to the fans, and that’s why I always say, these are the greatest fans in the world to me," he said. "They’ve been supportive of me in my career and a lot of the things I accomplished in my career was in front of these fans and that’s why this place is so special to me."
Lowry has said in the past that he wants to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Raptors. When he returned to the Sixers in the 2025 offseason, one could have wondered if the plan changed, but he maintains that he will, in fact, sign that one-day deal when the time comes.
"Oh, yeah," Lowry said pregame on Sunday. "That's not—I said, you know that my goal, and I’m committed to this, and I will never go from what I say. I will sign a one-day contract and retire as a Raptor. That has not changed."
When Lowry does retire, his No. 7 will certainly go into the rafters at Scotiabank Arena. There is no doubt about that. One has to wonder what the emotions will be like for the usually stoic Lowry in moments such as this.
"I don't know. Y’all ever see me cry?" Lowry laughed. "I don't know. It depends on how Matt, you know, says it, and we got Matt Devlin. He might, you know how he does it. He might be the emcee, but if it does and when it does, it will be a super emotional day. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in that seven and to know the fact that it probably will never be worn again, it’ll be pretty special. I think something that for my basketball legacy is pretty, pretty, pretty darn cool."
It's obvious that Lowry is appreciated by the people in Canada and the feeling is mutual between Lowry and the Raptors. When Lowry does eventually hang up the sneakers, the future Hall of Famer will make sure his final days in the NBA will be as a member of that organization.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Kyle Lowry reiterates plan to retire as member of the Raptors
Continue reading...
Lowry spent nine fantastic years in Toronto where he was named an All-Star six times and helped guide the franchise to a championship in 2019. When it's all said and done, he will be considered one of the best players in Raptors history--if not the best.
As he walked onto the Scotiabank Arena on Monday night with the Sixers wrapping up a win over the Raptors, Lowry received a standing ovation and a lot of love from an appreciative Toronto fan base. Afterward, an emotional Lowry opened up on his final minutes in Toronto.
"I had Trendon Watford next to me sitting on the bench and he was like ‘Come on Kyle! You gotta go in! Go in! Give them what they’re waiting for!’ and it’s cool to have teammates like that and to listen to the fans, and that’s why I always say, these are the greatest fans in the world to me," he said. "They’ve been supportive of me in my career and a lot of the things I accomplished in my career was in front of these fans and that’s why this place is so special to me."
Lowry has said in the past that he wants to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Raptors. When he returned to the Sixers in the 2025 offseason, one could have wondered if the plan changed, but he maintains that he will, in fact, sign that one-day deal when the time comes.
"Oh, yeah," Lowry said pregame on Sunday. "That's not—I said, you know that my goal, and I’m committed to this, and I will never go from what I say. I will sign a one-day contract and retire as a Raptor. That has not changed."
When Lowry does retire, his No. 7 will certainly go into the rafters at Scotiabank Arena. There is no doubt about that. One has to wonder what the emotions will be like for the usually stoic Lowry in moments such as this.
"I don't know. Y’all ever see me cry?" Lowry laughed. "I don't know. It depends on how Matt, you know, says it, and we got Matt Devlin. He might, you know how he does it. He might be the emcee, but if it does and when it does, it will be a super emotional day. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in that seven and to know the fact that it probably will never be worn again, it’ll be pretty special. I think something that for my basketball legacy is pretty, pretty, pretty darn cool."
It's obvious that Lowry is appreciated by the people in Canada and the feeling is mutual between Lowry and the Raptors. When Lowry does eventually hang up the sneakers, the future Hall of Famer will make sure his final days in the NBA will be as a member of that organization.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Kyle Lowry reiterates plan to retire as member of the Raptors
Continue reading...
