The Raptors icon officially shared his retirement on Tuesday through a social media post. He’s also set to make an announcement at a press conference in Toronto with general manager and executive vice-president Bobby Webster on Tuesday at 9:30 a. m. ET.
“It’s official: I’m retiring as a Toronto Raptor,” Lowry states in a video included in the post.
Sportsnet’s Michael Grange had previously reported that Tuesday’s event would involve Lowry signing a one-day contract to retire with the Raptors. It’s likely that Lowry’s No. 7 will someday be honored at Scotiabank Arena, and the date of the press conference was fittingly 7/7.
At 40 years old, many fans regard him as the greatest Raptor ever after spending nine seasons with the team and playing a key role in securing their first-ever NBA championship in 2019.
Recognized for his toughness and versatile play, Lowry made six all-star teams during his career – all while playing for the Raptors – and was named to the third-team all-NBA following the 2015-16 season. He finishes with averages of 13.8 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game.
Lowry is the franchise leader for assists, steals, three-pointers, and triple-doubles while ranking second in both games played and total points. He also leads in playoff points and games played, highlighted by his outstanding performance in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals when he scored the first 11 points for the Raptors on their way to victory.
The Villanova alum was picked 24th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2006 before being traded to the Houston Rockets during the 2008-09 season.
He spent three-and-a-half seasons with Houston before joining Toronto in 2012 as part of a deal that sent a first-round pick to Memphis – which later helped Houston acquire James Harden from Oklahoma City Thunder.
No one could have guessed how far Lowry would go while he was there. In fact, he almost got traded to the New York Knicks during his second year with Toronto when they considered rebuilding around top Canadian prospect Andrew Wiggins. However, Knicks president James Dolan stopped that trade due to concerns about being taken advantage of by Raptors executive Masai Ujiri.
With Lowry alongside De Mar De Rozan, Toronto pulled off an incredible mid-season turnaround that led them back into playoff contention, kicking off seven straight postseason appearances.
The two became synonymous with the Raptors’ ‘We The North’ era – marked by consistency but also some tough playoff defeats against Le Bron James and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Before the start of the 2018-19 season, De Rozan – who had grown very close to Lowry – was traded to San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, which reportedly upset Lowry at that time.
In hindsight, it turned out well since Lowry helped lead Toronto to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy that June.
He played two more seasons with Toronto before being traded to Miami Heat during the offseason of 2021, marking an end of an era.
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