Kyle Lowry is coming home. The greatest Raptor of all time, and the franchise calls him exactly that, the GROAT, will sign a ceremonial one-day contract with Toronto and officially retire from the NBA at a press conference scheduled for Tuesday July 7.
The date is not an accident. He wore No. 7 in Toronto.
The Raptors will retire that number during the 2026-27 season, making Lowry's No. 7 only the second jersey in franchise history to go to the rafters at Scotiabank Arena alongside Vince Carter's No. 15.
Lowry made this promise in 2021 when the Raptors traded him to Miami.
"Let me say this, I will retire as a Toronto Raptor." He never wavered. He went to Miami, then Philadelphia, played 14 games last season as a trusted locker room mentor for Tyrese Maxey, and kept the promise.
He spent nine seasons in Toronto from 2012 to 2021 and became the franchise's all-time leader in assists, steals, three-pointers and triple-doubles. He was a six-time All-Star.
He drew more charges than anyone in NBA history. In 2019, alongside Kawhi Leonard, he helped win the first and only NBA championship in Canadian sports history, playing all 24 playoff games, setting the tone in Game 6 of the Finals with 11 first-quarter points before Toronto closed out Golden State.
He is one of only 12 players ever to play 20 NBA seasons. He is 40 years old. He is a Raptor.