The Toronto Raptors will retire Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 jersey after their Jan. 10 game against the Philadelphia 76ers, making Lowry just the second player in franchise history to have his number raised to the Scotiabank Arena rafters alongside Vince Carter.
Lowry, 40, signed a one-day contract with the Raptors on July 7 and announced his retirement from a 20-year NBA career. The 7/7 date was chosen deliberately as a nod to his jersey number.
In a statement Thursday, Lowry said he has been looking forward to the ceremony for years. He said he always promised he would retire as a Raptor and that seeing his No. 7 go up in that building will mean everything. He described what was built in Toronto with teammates, the organization, the city, the fans and all of Canada as something special, a championship built together, and said sharing that night with all of them and with his family will mean a great deal.
He spent nine seasons in Toronto, was a six-time All-Star with the Raptors and was the team’s starting point guard for the 2018-19 NBA championship, the only title in franchise history. He also played for the Grizzlies, Rockets, Heat and 76ers.
His career in numbers
Over 1,187 regular-season games, he averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists. His 2,209 made three-pointers rank 14th in NBA history. He reached the playoffs 12 times, averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in postseason play.
The context of the honor
The Raptors’ history spans only three decades, which makes jersey retirements a relatively rare event. Carter’s No. 15 was retired in November 2024, the first number the team had ever sent to the rafters. His No. 7 will become only the second.
His Villanova No. 1 was retired by his college in February 2020, making him one of a small group of NBA players to have received jersey retirement honors at both the college and professional levels.
The ceremony against the 76ers is a notable detail. Philadelphia is Lowry’s hometown and the team he played for in the final stretch of his career. Having his No. 7 retired in a game against the city he grew up in adds a dimension that gives the ceremony meaning beyond the Toronto relationship.
What the retirement means
The Raptors’ championship in 2019 was built substantially around Lowry. He and Kawhi Leonard were the team’s two best players during that run, but Leonard left for the Los Angeles Clippers immediately after winning the title. The point guard stayed.
Carter was the franchise’s first star, the player who defined what the Raptors were in their early years. Lowry is the player who got them to where they actually went. Sharing the rafters with Carter is fitting.
