Toronto is finally cashing in on a promise that's been sitting on the books since Lowry left for Miami in 2021. The Raptors announced he'll have his No. 7 retired in a post-game ceremony on January 10, 2027, when the team hosts the 76ers at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors announced that Kyle Lowry's No. 7 will be retired in a post-game ceremony on January 10, 2027, when Toronto hosts the Sixers.
The opponent isn't a coincidence, either. Lowry closed out his career with a stop in Philadelphia after stints in Miami, which makes a Sixers matchup as fitting a backdrop as the Raptors could've picked for the night. He'll become just the second player in franchise history to get his number retired, following Vince Carter's No. 15 going up in November 2024.
That timeline matters. Lowry spent 9 seasons in Toronto and is the franchise's all-time leader in assists, steals, triple-doubles and made threes -- but the number that actually gets him into the rafters is 2019. He was the engine of the Raptors' only championship team, running the point through a Finals win over the Warriors after helping dispatch Milwaukee in the East finals.
The Raptors aren't treating it as a one-night thing. They've mapped out a full run of Lowry tributes across three separate games in January -- a collectible T-shirt giveaway against Minnesota on January 7, a bobblehead night against Utah on January 8, and then the jersey retirement itself against Philly on January 10.
The Raptors will have three nights in January to honor Kyle Lowry 🦖 January 7 vs. Timberwolves: - Collectible T-Shirt January 8 vs. Jazz: - Bobblehead night January 10 vs. Sixers: - Jersey retirement
It's a lot of real estate to give one player, but Lowry's case is airtight in Toronto. He was the undersized, chippy point guard who turned a laughingstock franchise into a perennial contender, took a charge in the Finals with his shoulder barely attached, and never left the fanbase wondering whether he cared. Nine years, a title, and a legacy that outlasted every trade rumor that tried to move him out of town early.
January 10 is still months out, but expect the Raptors to lean into it hard between now and then -- especially with Lowry himself expected back in the building for at least part of the three-game stretch. For a franchise still chasing its second title, retiring the number of the guy who delivered the first one is as close to a sure thing as it gets.