dpKyle Lowry will be retiring as a Toronto Raptor.
One of the most significant players in franchise history and the backbone of the most successful era the Raptors have ever had will follow through on a long-time pledge to retire with the team he led for nine seasons from 2012-13 to 2020-21.
When he was traded to the Miami Heat prior to the 2021-22 season, Lowry pledged that when his career was over, he would sign a one-day contract and officially retire in the jersey of the club where he stands as the career leader in assists, steals, three-pointers made, playoff games won and floor burns earned.
After 20 NBA seasons, the time has come for the scrappy point guard with the competitive engine that never stopped and the basketball IQ to match. Lowry played the last two-and-a-half seasons in his hometown of Philadelphia, but is returning to his basketball home to officially announce the end of his professional career, which includes leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title and earning Olympic gold with Team USA in 2016. The team has planned an event and press conference for Tuesday, July 7th — Lowry wore No. 7 — billing it to invitees as a “monumental moment” in Raptors history, per sources.
The event on Tuesday is expected to set the stage for additional recognition of the so-called GROAT (the Greatest Raptor of All-Time) as the 2026-27 season unfolds, per sources, with a likely jersey retirement planned at Scotiabank Arena during the regular season, where Lowry’s No. 7 would join Vince Carter’s No. 15 as the only Raptors jersey hanging at the downtown arena.
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