Toronto Raptors Legend Sends Final Statement Before Retirement

The Toronto Raptors will be welcoming back a franchise legend for one day to officially retire with the team he helped build for nearly a decade. 

Kyle Lowry is set to sign with the Raptors for one day to officially retire in Toronto and fulfill his dream of ending his career in the franchise he is most fondly associated with. 

The official retirement announcement and contract signing are happening on Tuesday, July 7. It is a symbolic date for Lowry, and it would honor the No. 7 jersey he wore during his tenure with the Raptors.

Ahead of the retirement ceremony, Lowry delivered a message for the Raptors fans. 

“I’m super excited to retire as a Toronto Raptor. The fans, you all mean the world to me,” Lowry said in a video posted by the Raptors’ social media team. 

“Everything about being able to sign a one-day contract, fulfilling the things I told you all I was going to do, it means the world to me. I just appreciate you all. I will see you all soon. Peace,” he added. 

Kyle Lowry Is The Greatest Raptor of All Time

Getty ImagesFormer teammates Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

Lowry is regarded as the Greatest Raptor of All Time. Arriving via trade in 2012, the six-time All-Star helped the Raptors snag their first and only NBA championship in 2019 alongside Kawhi Leonard, who is back with Toronto after a trade with the LA Clippers. 

Lowry is also the franchise’s all-time leader in assists, steals, and three-pointers after playing nine years with the team. 

Lowry left the Toronto Raptors in August 2021 through a sign-and-trade deal to join the Miami Heat.

The 6-foot guard played his 20th NBA season with the Philadelphia 76ers before announcing his retirement. 

He also played with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets in his first few seasons in the NBA. 

Kyle Lowry Once Promised To Retire With The Toronto Raptors

GettyKyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Amalie Arena on January 20, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.

Retiring with the Toronto Raptors has been on the mind of Kyle Lowry since he left the team in 2021. 

During an interview with Marc Spears of Andscape, Lowry promised to return to the Raptors and retire in Toronto. 

“I’ll be able to go back. That’s still home. Like I’ve said, and I’ll say it now, I will sign a one-day contract and I’ll retire as a Toronto Raptor. That is my everything,” Lowry said in 2021. 

“I continued to grow as a person in Toronto. So eight years in the city, one year I was in Tampa, but nine years overall with one franchise is a long time.”

He also talked about the possibility of living in Toronto or in any city in Canada after he retires, which he turned down. 

“Everybody says you could just live in Canada, but you’d have to get a Canadian citizenship to live there. And I don’t think I would’ve lived there for the rest of my life,” he said. 

Lowry played with several formidable veterans in his time with the Raptors, such as DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby.

The actual jersey retirement ceremony will happen during the regular season at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

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