Kyle Lowry chafes at report he's retiring after 20 NBA seasons: 'Wait for the word to come from me'
Kyle Lowry would like you to ignore a report from one of Canada's top sports broadcasters that he's retiring after 20 NBA seasons.
Sportsnet's Michael Grange reported Thursday that the former Toronto Raptors star will retire and sign a one-day contract with Toronto, with a special event and press conference planned for Tuesday. That drew an irritated response from the man himself, who posted the following message on his Instagram story:
"Wait for the word to come from me, not someone else!!! Smh"
That doesn't appear to be a denial so much as a request from the veteran guard to announce his retirement on his own terms.
Grange also reported the Raptors are "likely" to retire Lowry's No. 7 during the 2026-27 season, which would make him the second player in Raptors history to receive the honor. The first was Vince Carter's No. 15.
Lowry played nine of his 20 seasons in Toronto, a tenure that saw him earn six All-Star nods and help lead the franchise to its first NBA championship in 2018-19. His retirement comes just as one of his co-stars on that championship team, Kawhi Leonard, returns to Toronto via trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Lowry took a long path to NBA stardom, developing from a decent bench player on the Memphis Grizzlies to a starter on the Houston Rockets and finally a standout with the Raptors, who acquired him via trade in 2012. He is Toronto's all-time leader in a number of stats, including assists, steals and 3-pointers.
That tenure ended when Lowry joined the Miami Heat via a three-year, $85 million sign-and-trade. He would go on to play two seasons with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers before this offseason.
