Kyle Lowry, a veteran of 20 NBA seasons, intends to sign a one-day contract with the Toronto Raptos and retire with the franchise for which his name is synonymous, Sportsnet reported Friday.
The Memphis Grizzlies selected Lowry, now 40, with the No. 24 overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and at the 2009 trade deadline. He was dealt him to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team deal that returned Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a 2009 first-round draft pick to Memphis from the Orlando Magic.
Before the 2012-13 season, the Rockets traded him to the Raptors for Gary Forbes and a 2013 first-round pick.
It was in Toronto that Lowry became a star, earning six consecutive All-Star selections (2014-20) and winning the 2018-19 NBA title with the Raptors.
He is the franchise’s all-team leader in 3-point field goals (1,518), assists (4,277) and steals (873). He stands second to another Toronto icon, DeMar DeRozan, in minutes played and games played.
A rebuilding Toronto team traded Lowry to the Miami Heat prior to the 2021-22 season, and he later signed with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers in 2014, appearing in just 72 games there over two-plus seasons.
He ends his career with averages of 13.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 1,187 career games.
In his 601 games over nine seasons in Toronto, Lowry averaged 17.5 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
He also won a 2016 Olympic gold medal with Team USA.
Sportsnet reported the Raptors have set a news conference for Tuesday, at which time is it expected Lowry will sign the contract and retire.
