What to know
- Kyle Lowry announced he will sign a one-day contract to officially retire as a Toronto Raptor after a 20-year NBA career.
- The announcement came in an emotional video reflecting on his family, basketball journey and 2019 NBA championship with Toronto.
- Lowry thanked Toronto and Canada, calling the city his home and saying, “I’m retiring as a Toronto Raptor.”
- Raptors fans flooded social media with emotional tributes, calling Lowry the franchise’s greatest player and urging the team to retire his No. 7 jersey.
One of the greatest Toronto Raptors of all time, Kyle Lowry, has officially announced he will sign a one-day contract to retire as a Toronto Raptor.
After days of speculation, Lowry made the announcement Tuesday in an emotional video reflecting on his life, his family and his 20-year NBA career.
From his childhood growing up in Philadelphia and meeting his now-wife in high school, to being selected 24th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2006 NBA Draft and helping lead the Raptors to their first NBA championship in 2019, Lowry reflected on the moments that shaped his career and the numbers that mattered most.
Lowry ended the video by thanking Toronto, the city he now calls home.
“Thank you, thank you, Toronto. Thank you, Canada… I’m retiring as a Toronto Raptor. Twenty years and one day. Seven forever. I love y’all. Peace,” Lowry said.
In a separate video shared by the Raptors, Lowry expressed his excitement about officially retiring with the franchise.
“The fans, y’all mean the world to me. Everything about being able to sign my one-day contract, fulfilling the things I told y’all I was going to do, it means the world to me… I’ll see y’all soon,” he said.
A long-awaited homecoming
The announcement comes as little surprise to basketball fans. Lowry has long said he planned to retire as a Raptor, even if it meant signing a symbolic one-day contract.
Lowry spent nine seasons in Toronto from 2012 to 2021, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in assists, earning six NBA All-Star selections as a Raptor and helping deliver the team’s first NBA championship in 2019. He remains widely regarded as the greatest player in franchise history.
Fans react with emotion
Fans quickly flooded social media with emotional reactions following the announcement.
“You mean the world to us,” one fan wrote on Instagram.
“A true Raptor legend. We need to retire his jersey ASAP,” another said.
“Forever the GOAT,” another fan commented.
Many fans said the announcement brought them to tears, while others joked they hoped Lowry would sign for more than just one day.
“Please come back for a year,” one fan wrote.
“Sign for a year… let’s go!” another added.
“Crying into my coffee over here. Congrats GROAT. And welcome home,” another fan commented on X.
“Crying at 8:14 am what the hell am I doing,” read another fan reaction.
“Kyle Lowry made me start my morning with full scale tears real nice,” said another.
