Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 to Be Retired by Toronto Raptors

Kyle Lowry used to walk into Scotiabank Arena and look up at Vince Carter’s No. 15, the lone Raptor number hanging in the rafters. On Jan. 10, the view changes. So does the franchise’s history book.

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday that they will retire Lowry’s No. 7 when they host his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, a fitting opponent for a player who never hid where he came from but chose Toronto as his basketball home.

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for years. 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 said in a statement released by the team.

This isn’t just a ceremony. It’s a coronation for the player many regard as the greatest Raptor of them all.

From Grit to Greatness

Lowry arrived in Toronto as a tough, undersized guard with a chip on his shoulder and left as the heartbeat of a champion. Across nine seasons, he dragged, pushed and willed the franchise into relevance, then into contention, and finally into immortality with the 2019 NBA title.

He wasn’t the flashiest star the city has seen. But he was the one who stayed, who evolved, who set the tone.

Known for his toughness and all-around game, Lowry made six All-Star teams — every one of them as a Raptor. In 2015-16, he earned All-NBA Third Team honours, a nod to how his influence stretched beyond Canada’s borders and into league-wide respect.

By the time he walked away from the game after the 2025-26 season, finishing with the 76ers before signing a one-day contract to retire as a Raptor on July 7, his numbers told the story of sustained excellence: 13.8 points, six assists and four rebounds per game over his career.

The raw stats only hint at the impact. The record book fills in the rest.

Lowry leaves as the Raptors’ all-time leader in assists, steals, three-pointers and triple-doubles. He sits second in franchise history in games played and points. In the playoffs, he stands alone at the top in both points and games — a reflection of how often he carried Toronto’s hopes deep into spring.

A Title, a Legacy, a Night to Remember

One night, though, towers above the rest.

Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals in Oakland. The Raptors had a chance to clinch their first championship. Lowry didn’t wait for the moment; he seized it. He scored the first 11 points of the game for Toronto, setting a ruthless tone that never really lifted. The Raptors finished the job. A franchise and a country exhaled.

“We built something special here — my teammates, the organization, the city and the fans, and all of Canada. We became champions together, and to be able to share this night with all of them, and with my family, is going to mean a lot to me,” Lowry said.

The organization plans to stretch the celebration beyond a single night. Toronto will honour Lowry at home games against Minnesota on Jan. 7 and Utah on Jan. 8, a multi-day tribute to the guard who turned “We The North” from a slogan into a standard.

On Jan. 10, though, the spotlight narrows.

Lowry, now 40, will stand at centre court, this time as a retired Raptor, watching as No. 7 rises to the rafters beside Carter’s. One number for the high-flying star who put Toronto on the map. Another for the relentless point guard who turned that map into a championship route.

After that, every time the Raptors run out under those banners, there will be no doubt what — and who — built this era of basketball in Canada.