Point guard Kyle Lowry retired as a member of the Toronto Raptors on July 7.
Lowry signed a one-day contract to retire with the team. Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2006, Lowry spent most of his 20-year career with the Raps and won a championship with the team in 2019. The six-time All-Star selection retires as the Raptors’ career leader in multiple categories.
“I always said that I would retire a Toronto Raptor, and that was everything,” Lowry said at a press conference. “This place is, I call it home. I mean it through and through. Everything about the city of Toronto, the country of Canada. It’s done special wonders for me, and I appreciate it.”
Lowry was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies out of Villanova with the 24th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. He played just 10 games in his rookie season before a broken wrist requiring surgery ended his season. He played his only full 82-game season in 2007.
He competed for the starting point guard job in the 2008–09 season; he appeared in 49 games with 21 starts, but the Grizzlies hired Lionel Hollins as their head coach mid-season, and Hollins chose Mike Conley as the starter in January 2009. Lowry was traded to the Houston Rockets shortly afterward.
Lowry served as a backup point guard for the remainder of the 2008–09 season and all of the 2009–10 season; he made his playoff debut in 2009. He won the starting job in 2010 and played in 71 of 75 games that season. He played in 47 games in 2011–2012, with 38 starts, but the already shortened season was further cut for Lowry by a bacterial infection that required hospitalization.
Lowry was traded to the Raptors in the 2012 offseason. He started off and on before earning the job early in the season. While the Raptors missed the playoffs in the 2012-2013 season, Lowry and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan took on leadership roles and helped elevate the team into playoff contenders.
In nine seasons with the Raptors, Lowry helped lead the team to seven playoff appearances. In the 2018-2019 season, the Raptors won the NBA Championship.
Lowry’s championship teammate Kawhi Leonard has recently been connected to the Raptors in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers and was present at the press conference. Lowry joked that, with Leonard coming back, he was considering a return.
In addition to the team’s achievements, Lowry made several personal achievements. He won 6 consecutive All-Star selections from 2015–2020 and won an All-NBA Third Team selection in 2016. He also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in charges drawn.
He also owns several Raptors team records. He is the team’s all-time leader in assists, steals, made three-pointers, and triple-doubles.
Lowry spoke fondly of his time there, saying that in Toronto, the Raptors represent all of Canada in the league.
“I said it a million times, you’re not just playing for Toronto, you’re playing for Halifax, Calgary, [British Columbia]. You’re playing for across a whole country. And who you are doesn’t just show up in one place; it shows up in every place. Like your fans are everywhere. So, it’s kind of hard to explain, but it’s just an amazing place to be because it’s not just one city. The NBA is very city-based. This is a city, but it’s a country base. You could be anywhere. They’re going to be Toronto Raptor fans. And that’s the cool part about it,” he said.
After nine seasons in the north, Lowry took his talents to South Beach, signing a three-year, $85 million sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors and the Miami Heat. He spent two full seasons with the Heat—making the playoffs in both—and half of the 2023-24 season; he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2024, only to have his contract bought out.
The Philadelphia native was then picked up by his hometown 76ers. He appeared in a few games as a backup point guard in 2024. He re-signed with the team on veteran minimum deals in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, making the playoffs in both years.
Lowry said Tuesday that he plans to be at home and be a father to his sons.
