The rafters of Scotiabank Arena will almost assuredly have a #7 Toronto Raptors banner hanging in it at some point in the future.
Kyle Lowry may not have played for the Raptors since the 2021-22 season, but he remains a legend of the franchise. So much so that many have already pencilled in his Raptors jersey retirement as a matter of time.
It may have already happened if he weren’t still playing in the NBA with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers at the age of 39. He is set to make a return to Toronto on Monday night, where he will likely get some sort of love from the Raptors faithful.
In a pregame media scrum, Lowry was asked about how he felt about having his jersey eventually retired in Toronto, to which he had a great answer.
“I don’t know if [my jersey] is gonna go up,” Lowry said to laughs as he cracked a smile. “Ya’ll ever see me cry? Did you say you think so? Hell no!
“If it does and when it does, it would be a super emotional day. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that [number] seven [jersey] and to know that it probably won’t ever be worn again would be pretty special.”
“I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in that [No.] 7.”
Kyle Lowry on what it would mean to have his jersey retired by the Raptors 🥹 pic.twitter.com/NMWWITU5ef
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 12, 2026
Lowry spent nine seasons in Toronto from 2012 to 2021. In that span, he became the face of the franchise and helped lead the Raptors on some of their best-ever playoff runs, including an NBA championship in 2019.
He ranks second in Raptors franchise history in games played (601) and points scored (10,540) behind only Demar DeRozan. Lowry holds the record for most All-Star appearances by a Raptors player at six.
While he is still an active NBA player, the end is in sight for Lowry, as he is set to turn 40 in March. Once he finally calls it a career, it will be a waiting game to see when the Raptors decide to finally lift his jersey into the rafters.
Lead photo by
Petre Thomas/Imagn Images