Kyle Lowry left Toronto Raptors in one of the biggest deals of the 2021 NBA free agency. After almost a decade, Lowry decided that his time in Canada is over. Behind himself, Lowry is leaving a powerful legacy. As a fact, former Raptors’ head coach, Dwane Casey, says that Lowry’s jersey number should be retired in Toronto.
Casey coached the Raptors from 2011 until 2018. In his final season with the Raptors, Casey won the Coach of the year award. However, after being swept in the second round of the playoffs, Casey was put off. In the meantime, Lowry emerged as an All-Star talent on the East.
The route to stardom was quite difficult for Lowry. Drafted by Memphis in 2006, Lowry started in just 30 out of 237 games in his first four seasons. Nonetheless, Lowry kept working. Eventually, he became a starter in Toronto over Jose Calderon. Subsequently, Lowry made six All-Star appearances for the Raptors and became the franchise legend.
“Kyle came in; he was behind. I had him behind Jose Calderon. Poor Jose, he beat Jose every day. He took the spot. He’s what you want your point guards to be about. He’s a winner; he has it as a leader. His jersey should go up in Toronto because he made that program what it is. Our whole identity changed once he came on the scene.
“It wasn’t easy, but he kept getting better. He brought something new to the table every year. One year he lost a ton of weight, came back. I didn’t recognize him. He’s a great example to any young man out there that is kind of behind the eight-ball to make it in the league.
Dwane Casey about Lowry
Lowry is leaving an everlasting legacy in Toronto. So far, the Raptors didn’t retire a single jersey number. Unquestionably, that’s about to change. Lowry spent nine successful years with the franchise, filled with playoff appearances and capped with an NBA Championship in 2019.
