Kyle Lowry signed a one-day contract to retire as a Toronto Raptor

Kyle Lowry is hanging up his sneakers. Exactly twenty years after being drafted into the NBA as the 24th pick in 2006, the six-time All-Star from North Philadelphia is signing a one-day contract to retire as a Toronto Raptor.

“This is a special moment for me. Words can’t really describe it,” Lowry said on Tuesday at OVO Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto, where the Raptors’ newest addition, Kawhi Leonard, was seated in the front row. “This place, I call it home. I mean it through and through. Everything about the city of Toronto, the country of Canada, it’s done special wonders for me.”

The pesky point guard helped transform Canada’s lone NBA franchise from the laughing stock of the league into a perennial contender that free agents could no longer scoff at with his leadership, toughness, competitive spirit and stubborn attitude (like when he sat in the middle of the court so nobody could practice). Lowry spent nine seasons as a Raptor, beginning in 2012. “Before Kyle, the franchise had zero 50-win seasons,” said general manager and executive vice president Bobby Webster. “With Kyle, we had five straight 50-win seasons.”

Lowry led the Raptors to seven consecutive playoff appearances, two Eastern Conference Finals, and the franchise’s first and only NBA championship in 2019. He remains the Raptors’ all-time leader in assists (4,277), steals (873) and three-point field goals (1,518) while ranking second in franchise history for points scored (10,540) and games played (601).

But it wasn’t the stuff you could fit on a box score that ultimately made Lowry “the greatest Raptor of all-time,” according to Webster. “Watching him play basketball stirred everybody’s heart. Every possession for him was life and death. Every opposing player’s drive was a new chance to take a charge. I think every post-up attempt on him was destined to be a miss. In many ways, I think of the franchise before Kyle and after Kyle.”

For putting his body on the line every single game for nine straight seasons, Lowry will have the honour of watching his No. 7 jersey go up to the rafters at some point during the upcoming 2026/27 NBA season. Mayor Olivia Chow also proclaimed July 7 “Kyle Lowry Day” in the city.

Now, with the GOAT retiring and 24-year-old Scottie Barnes emerging as a natural successor, the Raptors hope to make it back to the promised land. And thanks to the return of Leonard—the same fun guy who took Toronto over the edge in 2019—they could do it. After the Raptors traded for him last week, ESPN reported that Leonard, too, wants to retire as a Raptor. It’s possible that, years from now, the tables will be turned, with Leonard honoured as the franchise’s greatest player and Lowry in the front row, cheering him on.