Its official, Kyle Lowry's stint as a Raptor has come to an end. Lets reflect on how a kind from North Philly became the heartbeat of a country and the Greatest Toronto Raptor of All Time.
In 2012, Kyle Lowry arrived in Toronto as an average point guard who had a reputation of clashing with coaches and causing issues in the locker room. Nearly 9 years later, he leaves Toronto as a 6x All Star, an NBA champion, and a future Hall of Famer.
Back in 2012, the Toronto Raptors were coming off a lockdown season that saw the team go 23-43 and were looking for a star point guard, Steve Nash. The franchise was hellbent on bringing the Canadian legend home to Canada. However, at the time Steve Nash was 38 years old and had yet to win an NBA championship. So, he decided to partner up with the late great Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard in Los Angeles is pursuit of capturing a ring. This led the Raptors to resort to Plan B and trade Gary Forbes and a future first-round pick in exchange for Houston Rockets' guard, Kyle Lowry. Little did they know, their Plan B would turn out to be the best decision they ever made.
Although, things didn't start off easy for Lowry in Toronto, he was still coming off the bench because of Jose Calderon. Lowry didn't even have his infamous number 7 that will one day be raised to the rafters, because at that time the number belonged to … Andrea Bargnani. In reality, Lowry's stint in Toronto was almost over before it even really started. The Raptors began the 2013-2014 season with a 6-12 record, and the Raptors were already ready to move on from Lowry. In fact, in the words of Lowry "I was traded to the Knicks. There was no joke. I was packed and ready to go." But by some miracle the New York Knicks decided to pull out of the trade. Although the trade fell apart, it was a wake up call for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who approached each other and decided to take ownership, knowing well enough that they could be gone in a heartbeat.
And so began the bromance that would lead the Raptors to the most successful years in the franchise's history. After that disappointing start, the Raptors rallied together and finished with a franchise best 48-34 record, making their first playoff appearance since the departure of Chris Bosh. However the Raptors would lose to the Brooklyn Nets in a hard fought seven game series after Paul Pierce blocked Lowry's potential series-winning shot.
The result wasn't what they had hoped for, but the team was trending in the right direction under the leadership of Kyle Lowry. The next season would see Kyle Lowry make his first All-Star team, on route to leading the Raptors to a 49-33 record. However, the Raptors would suffer heartbreak in the playoffs once again, as they were swept by the Washington Wizards.
Following his disappointing playoff performance, Lowry would enter the 2016 NBA season in the best shape of his career, inspired to push through his playoff demons. With the emergence of DeRozan as an All-Star, the Raptors would finish the season with a 56-26 record, second in the Eastern Conference. After barely squeaking by the Indiana Pacers in the first-round, the Raptors would face a game 7 in the second-round against the Miami Heat and all of Lowry's hard work would pay off. In the Game 7, Lowry would put up 35 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals, whilst leading the Raptors to their first Eastern Conference Finals in franchise history. The Raptors would go on to lose to the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers in 6 games, but the spirits around the team were at an all-time high. They felt they were ready to compete for an NBA championship.
With that being said, the ascension of the Raptors would hit a roadblock by the name of LeBron James. The Raptors would be swept by the Cavaliers in each of the next two years, they just seemed to mentally crumble at the sight of LeBron.
The frustration within the franchise finally boiled over and led the Raptors' President of Basketball Operations, Masai Ujiri, to pull the trigger on what perhaps might be the biggest gamble in NBA history. The Raptors traded fan-favorite DeMar DeRozan, Jacob Poeltl and a first-round pick in exchange for superstar Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The rest was history
The heroics of Kawhi Leonard in combination with the ascension of Pascal Siakam, the leadership of Kyle Lowry and the birth of Fred VanVleet's child led the Raptors to make their first ever NBA Finals appearance. In Game 6 of the Finals, Lowry would record 26 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, including 11 straight points to start the game. The night would end with Lowry lifting up the Larry O'Brien trophy, bringing tears of joy to the eyes of Raptors fans around the world and solidifying Lowry's place in history as the Greatest Raptor of All Time.
Kyle Lowry forever changed the Raptor's organization. Before Lowry, the Raptors made the postseason four times in nearly two decades. With Lowry, they made the postseason for seven straight years, including their first NBA Championship. The team followed his lead and built their identity around his bull dog mentality. He became a mentor for the young players whilst being the voice of reason for the veterans. The six-foot kid from North Philly went from what was meant to be short-term rental to one day having a statue of him built in the city. He went from the Raptors Plan B to the reason they were planning a championship parade just 7 years later. Kyle Lowry forever revolutionized what it meant to wear a Raptors Jersey.
Ideally Lowry would have spent the rest of his career in Toronto, but unfortunately circumstances just didn't allow for that. Words can't possibly express what Lowry has meant to the Raptors franchise and the country of Canada. All we can truly say is "Thank you".
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