What to know
- Kyle Lowry received a Key to the City from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow during Kyle’s Block Party on Saturday.
- Lowry spent nine seasons with the Raptors, becoming a six-time NBA All-Star and helping Toronto win its first NBA championship in 2019.
- Toronto’s championship parade drew about 1.5 million people to the downtown core following the Raptors’ historic win.
- Lowry told Now Toronto the honour “means the world” and said he feels the support of Toronto fans.
- Former NBA teammates and friends including DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, Kevin Love and CJ Miles joined the celebrations honouring Lowry.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has presented the Key to the City to former Raptor Kyle Lowry in recognition of his contributions to the city in and out of the court.
Lowry received the recognition during Kyle’s Block Party, a free block party organized by the MLSE Foundation and the Toronto Raptors, to celebrate the players’ career after he announced his retirement earlier this summer.
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Lowry was with the Raptors from 2012 to 2021, and later also signed a one-day contract so he could retire as a Raptor in 2026. The player spent nine seasons with the Toronto team, holding several awards and being a six-time NBA All-Star, and earning the nickname the “GROAT,” or Greatest Raptor Of All Time.
The GROAT also played a pivotal role in the Raptors first ever NBA Championship in 2019, which was followed by a city-wide celebration that brought about 1.5 million people to Toronto’s downtown core.
“This is what Kyle Lowry built. Look at this! That championship will always belong to Toronto, and a parade with a million people… Kyle was at the heart of it all. He gave our city a memory we will never forget,” Chow said during the event.
The Key to the City is awarded to those who “embody the spirit and potential of Toronto” and who have made significant contributions to the city, according to its website.
The daytime block party was followed by an elegant night gala, which raised funds for the MLSE Foundation to support youth facing barriers to enter the sports industry.
‘It means the world’
Now Toronto was at the event and spoke with the GROAT himself about what receiving the Key to the City and support from Toronto fans means for him.
“[Toronto residents] show up for me. I try to show up for them every single night. I play this basketball on a basketball court. But it means the world. It means I did something fantastic. That means I gave my all and they know that. I love them,” Lowry told Now Toronto.
Besides leading the Raptors through some of their golden years and towards its first championship, Lowry is also a strong advocate for youth and community, having been involved with MLSE Foundation projects to support youth systemic growth.
“My vision is just to give them opportunities to get them into the basketball court, and be together and learn and continue to get better,” he said.
Kyle’s Block Party reunites NBA stars
Kyle’s Block Party and gala night brought together some well-known NBA names, including DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, and Kevin Love, who paid homage to the now retired star and shared their love of the city.
“Everything for me and my whole career started here. So, it’s always an emotional feeling, moment, because I came here as a 19-year-old kid. There’s just so many memories that happened here that I’ll never forget,” DeRozan said to Now Toronto during the gala.
“There is nothing [fans] don’t get to see. [Lowry] is what you see, is what you get. The joking, the pranking, the messing with people, the bulldog mentality. He’s that way 1,000 per cent, all the time. That’s what’s so great about him,” CJ Miles said.
