Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors. (Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
No matter how it ends, point guard Kyle Lowry plans to retire as a member of the Toronto Raptors.
With the 2021 NBA trade deadline looming, one player who could be dealt is Toronto Raptors‘ point guard Kyle Lowry. Since arriving in Toronto in 2012, Lowry has been a basketball institution for Canada’s lone NBA team. He not only rehabilitated his middling career in Toronto but will now almost certainly be a Basketball Hall-of-Famer when he does call it a career.
At the NBA All-Star break, the Raptors were a sub-.500 team battling for one of the last playoff spots available in the Eastern Conference. Though Toronto’s basketball culture is rock-solid, the Raptors may be staring down a rebuild. If Lowry is traded ahead of the deadline, that won’t end his relationship with Toronto or the Raptors. He recently told the media he does plan to retire as a member of the Raptors organization.
Kyle Lowry is the greatest player in Toronto Raptors franchise history
While there have been other stars to call Toronto their NBA home, no one has accomplished as much as Lowry has. The six-time NBA All-Star and 2015-16 All-NBA Selection was part of the first championship team in franchise history in 2019. He trails DeMar DeRozan on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard for games and minutes and will soon pass Chris Bosh for second on the team’s all-time scoring list. He’s also the all-time franchise leader in 3-pointers, steals and assists. Lowry is a lock to have his No. 7 jersey retired.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old point guard from Philadelphia has come a long way from his days at Villanova. Though his tenures with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets did not work out, Lowry has been a major reason the Raptors were a perennial playoff team throughout the 2010s. Even if he does play elsewhere, he will sign a one-day contract to retire as a Raptor.
In nine seasons, Lowry became the greatest player in Raptors franchise history.