Kyle Lowry is back at Scotiabank Arena for the first time since leaving the Toronto Raptors for the Miami Heat in free agency.
The Heat and Raptors did play at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto back on February 1st, but a COVID-19 spike during the holiday caused the arena to keep fans away for months.
Lowry didn’t play in that game anyways due to personal reasons, so the celebratory day that Lowry had earned for his time in Canada was put on the shelf. But today, Lowry got the moment that he had to wait an extra two months to get.
A standing ovation for Kyle Lowry as the @MiamiHEAT come out to warm up. 👏#WeTheNorth | @Raptors pic.twitter.com/6en615dyKP
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 3, 2022
Here’s the heartwarming tribute video that the Raptors played for him prior to tipoff.
Kyle Lowry receives a tribute in his return to Toronto 🙌 pic.twitter.com/uyznzBIOPj
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 3, 2022
Oh, and there’s a Kyle Lowry statue, too.
Kyle Lowry statue spotted around downtown Toronto. 👀 pic.twitter.com/A1D2tu2RMe
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 3, 2022
Many view Lowry as the greatest Raptor of all time after helping bring Toronto a NBA championship in 2019. He parted with the franchise in 2021 after nine seasons and left as their all-time leader in 3-pointers, steals and assists while trailing only DeMar DeRozan in total points, games played and minutes played.
What a great day for Kyle Lowry and what a classy move this was by the Raptors organization.