The GROAT will be honoured forever in the rafters at the Toronto Raptors arena.
The Raptors will retire Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 jersey on Jan. 10 when they host his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, the team announced on Thursday.
Lowry fulfilled his promise by signing a one-day contract and retiring as a Raptor on July 7.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for years. I always said that Toronto is home, and that I’d retire a Raptor, and to see my No. 7 go up in that building is going to mean everything to me,” Lowry said in a statement released by the team. “We built something special here — my teammates, the organization, the city and the fans, and all of Canada. We became champions together, and to be able to share this night with all of them, and with my family, is going to mean a lot to me.”
The celebration will take place over three games, beginning with Lowry t-shirt and bobblehead giveaways on Jan. 7 and 8, respectively, before culminating in the jersey retirement ceremony. There will be “special programming and surprises planned throughout both nights” in the lead up.
Lowry led the Raptors through their greatest era of prosperity, including seven playoff appearances, two Eastern Conference Finals, and ultimately the 2019 NBA Championship. He is a six-time All-Star and the all-time franchise leader in assists, steals, 3-point field goals, triple-doubles, and, of course, charges drawn.
But Lowry’s impact extends far beyond the numbers into both intangible areas of the game and the city of Toronto itself. He helped Toronto believe in the Raptors.
Over the course of his nine-season tenure with the Raptors — starting on July 11th, 2012, when he was traded north of the border in exchange for Gary Forbes and a future first-round pick — Lowry, the city of Toronto, and its basketball fans would co-create an identity based on overcoming doubt and delivering far above expectations.
No one believed in either of them. So they wore that as a badge of honor on their chest. — from Es’s piece.
Lowry’s No. 7 will join Vince Carter’s No. 15 as the only two numbers retired by the organization.
