Raptors icon Kyle Lowry receives warm welcome in likely final return to Toronto 

Of course, Lowry was greeted with a loud standing ovation from the crowd in attendance. Lowry's current teammate, Tyrese Maxey, even joined in on the fun by waving his arms in the air to spur the crowd on, again a very uncommon interaction between a visiting player and the home fans. 

Kyle Lowry's farewell tour season isn't about his lack of playing time or production 

Lowry failed to register any statistic in his limited time on the court, but none of that matters in the grand scheme of the moment and its significance, both for Lowry and for the city of Toronto. 

After playing in 35 games in his first full season in Philadelphia last year, Lowry has only appeared in six games so far during the 2025-26 campaign. His last appearance before his Toronto homecoming was back on Dec. 23. He's averaging just 1.0 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists on the year. 

Kyle Lowry enjoyed most of his NBA success during his nine years in Toronto  

But of course, Lowry's playing career will mostly be known for his time as a Raptor. A 2006 first-round draft pick of the Memphis Grizzlies, Lowry was traded to the Houston Rockets in the middle of his third NBA season. He was then with Houston until it shipped him to Toronto in July 2012. 

Especially at that time, most NBA stars often rebuffed having to play for a team located in Canada. Lowry embraced the new opportunity and became an icon, not only for the Raptors franchise or Toronto as a whole, but for an entire country. 

In nine seasons with the Raptors, Lowry averaged 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. He was also named to the All-Star team six times and stepped up his game when the games mattered the most, scoring 17.1 points per game and hitting numerous clutch shots in the postseason. For the rest of his days, Lowry will be a Raptor for life.