July 7th, 7/7, is a date that will live in infamy for the world of Toronto sports, because one of our prodigal sons has finally come home, for good. As the clock wound down to 9:30, a hush fell over the room all of a sudden, a blanket of silence broken only by the murmurs of cameramen and the muffled chatter of people in the bleachers, as the crowd waited for Kyle Lowry to take the stand at the podium.
The table was emblazoned with Lowry’s own logo, a brushstroked “K”, with the clawed ball of the Raptors
sitting to its right. Notably, the table had two microphones, and two bottles of water. For a minute, I hoped against hope that there would be another player who would come and take the microphone alongside Lowry – Number 10 to go along with Number 7 – but it would not come to pass.
The presser began with a video on a 70 foot screen showing off Lowry’s years of Raptors highlights. GM Bobby Webster took the mic and spoke. He talked about the franchise before and after Kyle Lowry, and began to reminisce on the 2019 playoffs. He talked about game 6 of the NBA Finals, about how Lowry “rose above” everything and everyone on the court. And then, the crowd rose to their feet, giving the point guard a standing ovation as he took the mic.
Lowry shouted out his friends and family, thanking them, before beginning to address the media. He cracked at Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who got the first question, with the two Raptors icons ribbing each other for their age. Lowry called Toronto a “hockey town, hockey place,” where his hard work tied him to the culture of Toronto. He referenced the 2014 series against the Brooklyn Nets as the moment when he felt like Toronto began to feel like home to him.
“I think I had a hell of a career,” said Lowry. When asked about what he would be doing in retirement, he spoke earnestly, saying “golf,” before continuing, saying how he would value time with family, and the ability to “see my kids grow up.” When asked about his favourite charge that he ever took, Lowry immediately answered that it was the one he took in the All-Star game against Kawhi Leonard. “He still owe me some money from that,” cracked Lowry in his trademark deadpan gruffness. He spoke about his relationship with DeMar DeRozan, reminiscing on their continued friendship, saying that “he’ll be here when the thing [retired number] goes up top.”
Speaking about potentially being memorialized as a statue, stating that if it were to happen, he would to the fans the design of the statue. Mid-press conference, a phone was brought up to Lowry, who revealed that Vince Carter was calling him in, praising the younger guard, and making promises of golfing soon. Like Carter, whose relationship with the franchise was complex, before a capstone retirement, Lowry joked about his at-times choppy connection to the Raptors.
Looking to the future, Lowry spoke about the current state of the franchise, saying that “they’re trying to win another championship,” and when talking about Kawhi Leonard, he said “that’s why he’s here.” He praised current players on the team, namely Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, and another defensive guard, Jamal Shead.
Reflecting on his last game in Toronto last season, Lowry called the moment of applause a “storybook ending.” And then, as if the true end to a movie, Lowry signed a placard printed with his career achievements, posed with his family, as “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool rang out over the stadium speakers and photos were taken of the man who many call the Greatest Raptor of All Time. As people off the court, the man who achieved the heights of NBA stardom in the 2010s went out in the most 2010s way possible. With DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” blasting. A final joke from Lowry. That’s the way he’d want to go out, I think.
