Lowry says end not near, but it will be as a Raptor
Wants to sign a one-day contract when he retires
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry, even at 37, is not the retiring type, reiterating Wednesday that the goal is to play beyond this final year on his Miami Heat contract.
But at the morning shootaround at Scotiabank Arena ahead of the Heat’s game against the Toronto Raptors, the veteran point guard said he knows how it eventually will end.
“I’m definitely retiring as a Raptor. That’s something I’ve said since I left here,” Lowry said while surrounded by a contingent of Toronto-based media. “I will sign that one-day contract and I will retire as a Toronto Raptor.”
Lowry spent nine seasons in Toronto before leaving for a three-year, $85 million Heat contract in 2021 free-agency, winning the 2019 NBA title with the Raptors.
Because of previous injuries and COVID restrictions, Wednesday marked just Lowry’s fourth game back with the Heat, stressing the plan is to be back for even more.
“No, no farewell today,” he said with a smile. “Hell no. Not this year.”
But he also said, even 18 years in, when the end comes it will not come with a farewell tour, having also played for the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.
“No,” he flatly stated. “It’s going to be like, ‘Alright y’all, peace.’ Sign with the Raptors for one day and it’s out.”
Lowry, who turns 38 in March, still stands as the Raptors’ all-time leader in assists, three-pointers, steals and triple-doubles.
While the initial return led to an overflowing of emotions, the trips since have been more businesslike.
“It’s a place I’ve called home forever and I still call home,” he said. “But it’s an exciting time for our team. I’m so excited to be here with our team and have an opportunity to play in front of these great fans. It still
feels weird, but it is what it is now.”
He said the moments remain meaningful.
“I’m just enjoying the moments that I’m able to hang out with these young guys and still have an opportunity to watch former players that I’ve played with and just being around the group of guys that we have,” he said. “We have some really good young kids and just have an opportunity to play basketball.
“It’s not going to last forever, so you enjoy every moment that you can get.”
Two more seasons would put him at 20, at the stage that longtime Heat captain Udonis Haslem called it quits after last season.
“We’ll see,” Lowry said. “Whatever the mind and the body, and my kids are getting older. I want to be able to see them and hang out with them a lot more.”
So, no, no plans to solely hang on as mentor.
“I want to be able to play,” he said. “The one thing about me is I’m a competitor. I might not be able to play 45 minutes a night. But if I have the opportunity to play basketball and I can play, I want to be able to help.
“Now, being a mentor is something that I do every day and I’ve been doing it a long time in my career.”
Success noted
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked at the morning shootaround about first-round pick Jamie Jaquez Jr. becoming the Heat’s first NBA Rookie of the Month since Kendrick Nunn in 2020.
“A lot of these close games, you earn the trust of the staff and the players, your teammates by making tough plays, being reliable, showing a capacity and humility to learn,” Spoelstra said of the swingman selected out of UCLA at No. 18. “He checks all those boxes and hopefully that will continue for these next 60 games of the season and playoffs.
“We felt very fortunate that we were able to get him where we did in the draft and we’ll just continue to develop him. Who knows? We’ll see where his ceiling ends up.”