Raptors’ Lowry, Ibaka staying to ‘finish’ job
TORONTO — When Kyle Lowry pondered all of his basketball options, he says he kept coming back to the same place — Toronto.
The three-time National Basketball Association all-star point guard is re-signing with the Raptors, announcing his decision on Sunday in “The Players Tribune.” The 31-year-old reportedly signed a three-year $100 million US deal.
His decision, he wrote, is all about finishing what he started.
“It was up to me to decide whether this thing we have — is it worth sticking around for, and running it back again, and seeing if we can take that next step?” Lowry wrote. “And like I said — to me, that was an easy decision. The answer is yes.
“If you’re looking for people to believe in — choose the people who believed in you first,” Lowry wrote. “And if you start something? Man, you finish it.”
The announcement was good news for the Raptors, who will also have Serge Ibaka next season. The Raptors and Ibaka agreed earlier in the day to a three-year worth $65 million US.
“I don’t think we’ve reached our true potential,” Lowry wrote.
“At the end of the day, this was an easy decision. And all of those roads ... they all led me back to the same place: home. They all led me back to Toronto.”
The 31-year-old guard opted out of the final year of his contract in May, and said in the Raptors’ postseason news conference he wanted to win a championship. “I want a ring,” Lowry said. “That’s all that drives me. I want to just get better, I want to have fun, I want to win a ring.”
Paired up with DeMar DeRozan, who received a five-year deal worth $139 million US last offseason, the Raptors will continue to have one of the most formidable backcourts in the league. The duo led the Raptors to back-to-back 50win seasons, and four consecutive playoff berths.
“My heart is telling me that this is the best city in the world, with the best basketball fans in the world,” he wrote.
The father of two young sons mentioned the importance of keeping his family happy.