Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 Jersey Retirement Ceremony in Toronto
Vince Carter’s No. 15 is about to have company. For the first time, the most influential figure of the Raptors’ championship era will join him above the floor at Scotiabank Arena.
The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday that they will retire Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 on Jan. 10, when the franchise icon returns with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. The night will formalize what the city has felt for years: Lowry isn’t just a former player. He’s a pillar of the franchise.
Lowry, 40, called time on his career after the 2025-26 season with the 76ers, then signed a one-day contract on July 7 to retire as a Raptor. It was a symbolic move, but a fitting one for a guard who spent nine seasons dragging, directing and willing Toronto into relevance, and eventually into history.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for years. I always said that Toronto is home, and that I’d retire a Raptor, and to see my No. 7 go up in that building is going to mean everything to me,” Lowry said in a statement released by the team.
He didn’t arrive as a star. He left as the face of an era.
The Architect of a Champion
Lowry is widely regarded as the greatest Raptor of all time, the heartbeat of the 2019 team that delivered the franchise’s first NBA title. Kawhi Leonard may have been the superstar, but Lowry was the constant: the organizer, the irritant, the leader who set the tone on both ends.
Known for his toughness and all-around game, Lowry turned himself into a six-time All-Star — every one of those selections coming in a Raptors jersey. He earned All-NBA third-team honours in 2015-16, a season that crystallized his rise from underappreciated guard to elite floor general.
His career numbers tell one story: 13.8 points, six assists and four rebounds per game. The Raptors’ record book tells another.
Lowry leaves as the franchise leader in assists, steals, three-pointers and triple-doubles. He ranks second in games played and points. In the playoffs, where reputations harden, he sits atop the Raptors’ charts in both points and games.
And then there was Game 6 in Oakland.
In the clincher of the 2019 NBA Finals, Lowry stormed out with the first 11 Raptors points of the night, seizing control of the moment before the Warriors could settle. It was pure Lowry: aggressive, fearless, utterly unfazed by the stage. Toronto never blinked, and neither did its point guard.
A City, a Country, and a No. 7
“We built something special here — my teammates, the organization, the city and the fans, and all of Canada. We became champions together, and to be able to share this night with all of them, and with my family, is going to mean a lot to me,” Lowry said.
The Raptors plan to stretch the celebration beyond a single evening. The organization will honour Lowry with special events at home games against Minnesota on Jan. 7 and Utah on Jan. 8, building toward the jersey retirement ceremony three nights later.
For a franchise that has often fought for respect, raising No. 7 is about more than nostalgia. It marks the elevation of the player who helped redefine what the Raptors could be — from plucky outsider to champion, from league afterthought to legitimate destination.
On Jan. 10, when the 76ers come to town and the lights dim, Kyle Lowry will watch his number rise into the rafters of the arena he helped transform. After years of saying Toronto was home, his place in that building will finally be permanent.
