The Toronto Raptors announced that they will retire Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 jersey on January 10, 2027, raising it to the rafters at Scotiabank Arena following their game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lowry will become the second player in Raptors history to have his number retired, joining Vince Carter, whose No. 15 was honored on November 2, 2024. The ceremony will recognize the player who became the central figure of the most successful period in Toronto franchise history and helped deliver its first NBA championship in 2019.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for years,” Lowry said in the Raptors’ announcement. “I always said that Toronto is home, and that I’d retire a Raptor, and to see my No. 7 go up in that building is going to mean everything to me.”
Lowry spent nine seasons with the Raptors from 2012 through 2021, leading the franchise to seven playoff appearances, two Eastern Conference Finals and the 2019 championship. Toronto acquired him from the Houston Rockets in July 2012, and he developed into a six-time NBA All-Star during his tenure with the franchise.
His individual production in Toronto also placed him atop several major franchise leaderboards. Lowry remains the Raptors’ all-time leader in assists, steals and three-point field goals made.
The Philadelphia native reached his statistical peak during Toronto’s rise into an Eastern Conference contender. He averaged 21.2 points and 6.4 assists in 2015-16, earning All-NBA Third Team honors, then posted 22.4 points and 7.0 assists per game in 2016-17 while shooting 41.2% from three-point range.
Lowry’s most significant achievement came during the 2018-19 season. He averaged 14.2 points and 8.7 assists in 65 regular-season games before helping Toronto win the first championship in franchise history.
The Raptors’ championship run included Lowry averaging 15.0 points, 6.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds over 24 playoff games. In the title-clinching Game 6 against Golden State, he opened the game with 15 first-quarter points and finished with 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Toronto’s 114-110 victory.
Lowry remained with the Raptors for two more seasons before joining the Miami Heat in 2021. His NBA career later took him back to his hometown Philadelphia, where he played the final three seasons of his 20-year career with the 76ers.
Toronto will extend the celebration beyond the retirement ceremony with three GROAT Nights. The events begin January 7 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and continue January 8 against the Utah Jazz before culminating with the January 10 game against Philadelphia, when Lowry, his family, former teammates and the Raptors organization will gather for the jersey retirement.
Lowry averaged 13.8 points, 6.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds across 1,187 regular-season games during his 20 NBA seasons. But his strongest legacy is tied to Toronto, where No. 7 will soon hang alongside the championship banner he helped bring to the city.
