Kyle Lowry made two significant announcements on Tuesday, June 7 in Toronto, where he won an NBA championship.
The veteran point guard signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Raptors and announced his retirement from professional basketball. The Raptors will make Lowry’s No. 7 just the second jersey that they have ever retired, joining Vince Carter’s No. 15. Widely called by Toronto fans as the GROAT — Greatest Raptor Of All Time — Lowry is the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,277), steals (873) and 3-pointers made (1,518).
“This is home, and Toronto will always be home. Together we built something special here, and together we became champions,” Lowry said in a statement. “I always said I would retire as a Raptor, and to be able to do that today means everything to me.”
However, Lowry intends to remain involved with professional basketball in Toronto. It was also announced on Tuesday that he and his wife are joining the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA expansion franchise currently playing its first season.
“We are a huge basketball family and have been big supporters of the WNBA since day one,” Ayahna Cornish-Lowry said in a statement. “This feels like a true full circle moment to announce our ownership in the Tempo. We’re excited to help build something special in Toronto, inspire the next generation of athletes and fans, and support the continued growth of women’s basketball in Canada.”
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Lowry and his wife join an already star-studded collection of investors involved in the Tempo ownership group, which includes tennis superstar Serena Williams, former Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri, comedian Lilly Singh and billionaire Larry Tanenbaum. Williams’ production company is working on a documentary project — along with Ryan Reynolds and Robin Roberts — about the Tempo’s first season for ESPN.
“Kyle and Ayahna have made an immeasurable impact on the game of basketball and on the city of Toronto,” Tanenbaum said in a statement. “Their commitment to community, their passion for growing the game and their belief in the future of women’s sports make them outstanding additions to our ownership group.”
Lowry retires from the NBA as one of just 12 players in league history to play at least 20 seasons. He’s just the second point guard to play that long, joining Chris Paul.
The 40-year-old native of Philadelphia played college ball at Villanova for Jay Wright, earning All-Big East honors. In Lowry’s sophomore season, the Wildcats won the Big East regular season title, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight. He was then selected No. 24 overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Lowry was traded from Memphis to the Houston Rockets, and then another trade sent him to the Raptors in 2012, where he remained through 2021. All six of his All-Star appearances came while he was with the Raptors, as did his lone All-NBA selection in 2016 — a year in which he also finished in the top 10 of MVP voting. That summer, Lowry also won a gold medal as a member of Team USA in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2019, he was a leader for the Raptors as they won their first NBA championship. In the series-clinching Game 6 win over the Golden State Warriors, Lowry tallied 26 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 41 minutes.
The 6-foot point guard later played with the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, though he appeared in just 14 games this past season. Lowry’s 2,209 made 3-pointers ranks 14th all-time in NBA history.
Ayahna Cornish-Lowry was also an accomplished hooper in college. She played four seasons at Saint Joseph’s, where she was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and the team’s leading scorer for three years. She and Kyle have two children together, Karter and Kameron.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Lowry retires from NBA, joins Toronto Tempo ownership group
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