Outside of Toronto, there has been some debate for years about who is the most important player in its history. Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter were the first candidates to put Canada on the basketball map at the turn of the century. Later, Chris Bosh formed an iconic pairing with José Manuel Calderón to lead the team back to the playoffs. Even today DeMar DeRozan continues to be his player with the most games played and the most points scored. And Kawhi Leonard was the main architect of the only ring in the history of the Raptors. But if you ask any citizen, the only possible answer to this discussion is Kyle Lowry.
It’s been a few months since Toronto’s right eye packed his bags for Miami to embark on his new adventure. However, the point guard knows how important he is to the Raptors. And the appreciation is mutual. “I will sign a one-day contract and retire at the Toronto Raptors. It is everything to me »he told Marc J. Spears in his interview for The Undefeated. In the talk, the player also spoke of his return to Toronto on February 3. «I am a man, but I know that that day I will cry. I know that it is a day in which I am going to receive a lot of love and I am going to give it back ».
This encounter with Spears takes place with Thanksgiving in the background, a date in which Lowry has always shown his most charitable side to the community. In Toronto, dinners offered to citizens who have nowhere to spend the holiday are known. For something, the player has been the favorite of the fans for much of his nine years in the franchise.
Although on a sporting level his march is going smoothly, Lowry has his thorn in for not having been able to say goodbye to his audience. Disputing the season in Tampa due to COVID-19 did not leave the player one last goodbye at home and with the team jersey. During the conversation, the point guard reiterates the ties that continue to bind him to the Raptors. Referring to a large part of his former colleagues as “my boys” and ensuring that he continues in almost daily contact with Masai Ujiri.
(Cover photo by Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
