Kyle Lowry made Toronto his own team, and after hard-fought respect, he’s off to Miami to start another chapter
Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry celerates during the 2019 Toronto Raptors Championship parade in Toronto on June 17, 2019.“Uncoachable.” “Unreachable.” “Unwilling.” Kyle Lowry has heard it all before. Those are the words that followed him throughout his basketball life, sometimes fairly, often not. They stuck with him from high school in North Philadelphia to the NBA and crept into his earliest years with the Toronto Raptors.
It was Lonnie Jr. who first introduced Lowry to basketball. Lowry was a quick study and soon became a fixture on Philly’s courts. As his star was rising, the fiery guard received interest from a number of NCAA programs before enrolling at Villanova in his hometown. The recruiting process had been particularly ugly. When Lowry rejected an offer from one major program, the recruiter spread false rumours that the point guard dealt drugs. Lowry never forgot and only grew more guarded.
Drafted 24th by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2006, Lowry broke his wrist 10 games into his rookie season and watched from the sidelines as Fratello was fired. Lowry clashed with his replacement, Marc Iavaroni, who benched him for Mike Conley. In his third season he was dealt to Houston.
Lowry had every reason to throw in the towel, to play out his contract and leave for another team. Maybe the fourth time would be the charm. Instead, the near-trade sparked a turnaround for both the player and franchise.
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