Bradley Beal: It’s getting SPICY!!!!!!!!!!
Kyle Lowry Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 03/25/86
Height: 6-0 / 1.83
Weight:205 lbs. / 93 kg.
Salary: $33,296,296
Born: 03/25/86
Height: 6-0 / 1.83
Weight:205 lbs. / 93 kg.
Salary: $33,296,296
Josh Robbins: Evan Fournier, asked about Kyle Lowry’s Flagrant 1 foul on A.G: “They’ve been through a lot of games. They’re obviously champions. Fouls are a part of basketball. Was it nice? No. But, who cares? I mean, it was a foul. It was called a Flagrant 1. There’s just not much to say.”
“So on that play, at replay, Olynyk, we judged that he took an aggressive swipe and he made some contact into the facial area of Kyle Lowry,” Guthrie said in the pool report. “At replay, in my judgement, I felt like that did meet the criteria for a flagrant foul. After reviewing that more postgame, and thinking about it a little bit more, to me, it now is more of a natural basketball play going for the ball and that the contact really did not rise to the criteria of a flagrant foul. In both of these instances and cases, though, as always, I know that the league office will review them as they always do all flagrant fouls and they’ll make their determinations at the end of the day on what they think they ended up, in their judgement, that it was. But we had our judgments in the live game.”
Josh Lewenberg: Fred VanVleet on his career-high 36 points… and scoring 3 more points than Lowry did on Saturday: “That’s a double whammy right there. I’ll take that.” He joked that he was disappointed he couldn’t top the 37 that Powell scored earlier this season.
It was clear at that point: Lowry has absolutely no chill. “Nick says he’s gonna ease us back in and use (seeding games as) exhibition,” Lowry said. “But our competitive spirit, we have too many competitive guys out there that want to go out there and play and hoop and win games, especially playing against a team like the Lakers, a team that is No. 1 in the West. The competitive juices get going.”
Isiah Thomas: The best #leader in @Raptors player history @Klow7
Mark Medina: DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are watching the NBA the right way while social distancing. They’re here early for Lakers-Clippers and sitting on chairs 6 feet apart. They are watching their cell phone placed on the ground that has the Pelicans-Jazz game
“We have grown men,” Lowry told me. “We have professionals. We have guys who grew up in tough situations. We’re all coming from situations where we weren’t given a silver spoon. A lot of us say we got it from the night, and a lot of our guys have done that. We have a bunch of young guys who follow that suit. They continue to want us to be leaders and they want to follow us. Myself, Marc (Gasol), Freddy (VanVleet), Serge, Pascal (Siakam), we’re guys that work hard at our crafts.
After Friday’s win over the Rockets, Ibaka said the Raptors “match up with them perfectly,” referring to the Bucks. I ran that by Lowry and he chuckled, and then explained: “We believe in what we’ve done, we believe in the work we’ve put in and we understand that we have a job to do on the court and off the court. And that’s what we do. We do our jobs.”
“We have grown men,” Lowry told me. “We have professionals. We have guys who grew up in tough situations. We’re all coming from situations where we weren’t given a silver spoon. A lot of us say we got it from the night, and a lot of our guys have done that. We have a bunch of young guys who follow that suit. They continue to want us to be leaders and they want to follow us. Myself, Marc (Gasol), Freddy (VanVleet), Serge, Pascal (Siakam), we’re guys that work hard at our crafts. “We know how hard it is and we know where we come from and we know what type of communities and situations we’ve been in to be leaders.”
The other question I could ask Lowry was this: With everything that’s going on, from living in a bubble, to the pandemic at large, to the ongoing push for social justice in which so many in the NBA have become so involved, could Lowry focus on and pursue the basketball goals he would normally have if none of these other things were going on? Here is what he said. “I think the social injustice is the message we are trying to send,” he began. “The Breonna Taylor situation, we want those cops arrested for the murder of her. But the basketball part is our salvation, and if we can go out there and use our message to make sure that we continue to push for that. Yes, we’re here to do our job, but we are also here to do another job and help our communities. If we’re going to be here, and I’m going to be here, then we’re going to focus on both things. I can say honestly that I’m going to focus on winning a championship and doing my postseason job, but I’m also going to focus on the things we’re down here for — voter suppression, education reform. I’m going to do both as best as I can.”
Josh Lewenberg: Despite some more 1st-half rust, Raptors looked great when they flipped the switch in the 3rd Q. Held Portland to 26% and outscored them 38-21. Another strong showing from Lowry and Ibaka, who already look like they’re in mid-season form. One more scrimmage to go.
Players who have been through the World Cup or Olympic grinds agree that there’s a level of familiarity with this sort of schedule and situation. “It helps tremendously,” said Toronto guard Kyle Lowry, who was part of the U.S. gold-medal-winning team at the Olympics in 2016. “In Rio it was a lot more strict and tighter because we were living on a boat. That experience was pretty awesome. … But living on a boat, to be in a smaller room and not have as many amenities it really kind of prepared me for this.”
Sirius XM NBA: “The Raptors have absolutely taken on the personality of Kyle Lowry” @Kyle Lowry’s agent Mark Bartelstein tells @TermineRadio & @Eddie Johnson how Kyle Lowry has grown as a leader. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/K5yCPyyCaR
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Mark Medina: Raptors guard Kyle Lowry on protesting systemic racism: “I grew up a black man in America. Definitely a tough thing to grow up that way. You never know what could possibly happen to you. You never know if you’re going to make it out. So for me to do that itself is a blessing.”
Lowry is certainly going to give it. In all matters. As a member of the players’ association competition committee, he worked with the league in setting up every facet of life for the 22 teams that are now gathered near Orlando for the resumption of the suspended season later this month. He was involved in developing testing protocols, scheduling, what is allowed and what’s not, and has made it clear to his teammates how important that is. He is the franchise’s conduit to a healthy existence.
“It was interesting to come up with some of the concepts and to talk that over, and understand (not just) what we’re trying to do but how we’re trying to do it, and make sure that it’s done the right way for all the players, coaches, and it’s (as safe as) we possibly can do it,” Lowry said in his first group interview since the league suspended the season in March.
“I think that we’ve done a good job so far with the safety aspects, the health aspects. I think there’s definitely going to be some adjustments that need to be made, but that’s the one thing about our league and our professionals, is that we make adjustments on the fly and we’re able to.”
Josh Lewenberg: For those asking, yes, Kyle Lowry IS in Naples with the Raptors. In terms of why he hasn’t been in any photos the team is posting, he does his individual workouts early in the morning, in keeping with his regular routine. Would imagine his afternoons are spent on the golf course.
Ryan Wolstat: NPBA president Michele Roberts says about proposed return “we needed to make sure we could mitigate as much as possible … a lot of hard work (went into it).” Credits everyone for hard work including Kyle Lowry and Canadian Dwight Powell, amongst others.
Lowry wanted the Raptors’ keepsakes to be unique. He also wanted them to be BIG. Say what you will about the finished product – the reviews have been mixed – but they certainly check both of those boxes. On the face of the ring, diamonds spell out the word NORTH inside of a chevron, paying homage to the red and white alternate jerseys the team wore on June 13, 2019 – the night they won the title. In the background, you can see the CN Tower and iconic Toronto skyline sitting atop Scotiabank Arena. At the centre of it all is the Larry O’Brien Trophy, topped by a record 1.25-carat diamond.
They’re definitely not subtle, but they were never supposed to be. “This is the first one in the organization’s history and I think that was one of the things we wanted, to make sure it stands apart from every other ring that’s been done before,” Lowry said back in October. He was the only player to see the ring before they were unveiled to the rest of the team on opening night. “It’s the first team outside of the U.S. to have a ring, to win a championship, so we were like, “Listen, we can’t have it be like anyone else. We have to be different.’ ” “This is not a ring you wear every day,” the all-star point guard explained. “This is a statement piece. You don’t wear it every day, you put it up, you can wear it once in a while, but I wanted [it to be larger] just because we wanted to show the details.”
13 Jun
Among the players on the call Friday: Milwaukee’s Malcolm Brogdon, Portland’s CJ McCollum, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Indiana’s Justin Holiday, San Antonio’s Rudy, Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie, Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes, Orlando’s Al-Farouq Aminu, Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley Jr., Portland’s Zach Collins and Indiana’s Myles Turner. Former NBA player and NBPA executive Roger Mason Jr. was also on the call, sources said.
Yesterday, Philly held one of the largest anti-Black racist protests in the country, and Lowry returned to his hometown to participate. Wearing a mask and shirt that said “I can’t breathe,” Lowry marched alongside fellow NBA players Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Elton Brand of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Silver has had weekly calls with executive committee members Paul, Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry and Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell; another weekly call with the league’s general managers and team presidents; and biweekly calls with the 30 owners. In between there are Zoom, FaceTime, Webex and Google Meetup calls with business leaders, public health officials, President Donald Trump, and executives from Major League Baseball, the National Football League and the National Hockey League.
Silver has made sure Paul and Roberts have had a seat at the table over the past three months as all this has unfolded. The union recently formed a players’ committee, led by Paul and joined by Kyle Lowry, Dwight Powell, Russell Westbrook and Jayson Tatum, to further consult with Silver and some of his top officials as the process unfolds. In this way the union has, in some respects, voted along the way. One such example is the union’s preference to allow some family into a quarantined campus, which the league has made a priority for weeks as it has pieced plans together.
The NBA and the players’ association have formed a joint committee to study return-to-play plans. In addition to the league office, it includes health experts, Chris Paul, Dwight Powell, Kyle Lowry, Jayson Tatum and Russell Westbrook, though sources say NBA commissioner Adam Silver and some players have had similar discussions informally for weeks.
Half or more of their players and staff are in the U.S. at the moment – including Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby and Terence Davis. According to sources, none of the Raptors who were outside Canada have made their way back to Toronto since the OVO Athletic Centre was made available for workouts beginning May 11.
Kyle Lowry: @beyondmeat has made a pledge to donate over 1 million Beyond Burgers to those in need during these different times and I’m proud to have been apart of it today. I’ve sent over meals to @womenshabitat with the help of @awcanada !#gobeyond
14 May
In the memo, “if it is safe to do” was underscored, emphasizing the challenge facing sports as they attempt to come back. The memo briefly recapped Friday’s NBPA players meeting that included a session with commissioner Adam Silver. The memo confirmed that “any such resumption would not include fans in arenas, and would likely take place at a single site, but again, it is far too early to speculate on whether any such plan will be implemented.” The union said it formed a joint committee of NBPA staffers, outside experts and players Chris Paul, Dwight Powell, Kyle Lowry, Jayson Tatum and Russell Westbrook.
In his apology the day after the incident, as criticism rained down on him and the Warriors from observing players like LeBron James, from Lowry and from around the sports universe, Stevens said he had reached out to several members of the Raptors organization to apologize. A source indicated Stevens has tried to personally apologize to Lowry many times but hasn’t heard back.
Ontario-born Dr. Leslie Bottrell, a Raptors superfan who works at hospital New York is unable to spend Mother’s Day with her children this year. Instead of keeping her kids in their tiny New York apartment, she sent them back to her childhood home in St. Thomas, Ontario as she continue to gear up to fight COVID-19 at Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers, just north of Manhattan.
Despite being apart, Botrell was greeted with a heartfelt message with her hometown. A suprise greeting from her favourite NBA player, Kyle Lowry, over video call on Sunday. “Oh my god,” Botrell said, as she saw Lowry pop-up on the video call. “That’s incredible.” Lowry said it was his “honour” to be on the call with Bottrell. “You’re really on the frontline, and it’s my pride and joy of being on this call with you, it’s just like my heart is racing right now.”
Josh Lewenberg: VanVleet on staying in touch with his Raptors teammates: “There’s a couple group chats. Me and Kyle are talking pretty much everyday… We watch the MJ doc and people want to talk about that. We’re a pretty close-knit team.”
“In my opinion, I think that Kyle Lowry is the greatest Raptor of all time. Is he the best Raptor to ever put on the jersey? No, but he’s the greatest player in the franchise’s history. That’s my opinion, and KD was so caught up in thinking that I’m shooting a slug at him, which I wasn’t. At the end of the day, we had a little Twitter beef, but it ain’t nothing that we haven’t gotten past or anything to that nature.”
What hasn’t changed, though, is DeRozan’s love and appreciation for his former teammates, for what they accomplished in his absence — and for what they have the potential to achieve over the rest of their careers. “You got the full blueprint, bro, to even pass [Kyle Lowry as the greatest player in Raptors history],” DeRozan told Pascal Siakam in a wide-ranging, candid Instagram Live conversation Sunday night. “You got the blueprint, you done seen it all.”
White has cemented himself as a vital piece of the team’s defensive puzzle moving forward. The third-year guard is tied for fifth in the NBA in charges taken. Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and the L.A. Clippers’ Montrezl Harrell top the league with 30 apiece. Also, White’s 51 blocked shots are second only to James Harden’s 52 among NBA guards. “I think it helps if you can do both, block shots and take charges,” White said. “They don’t know which one it is going to be.”
Bismack Biyombo: It was great to be back in the 6six last night and get a win! Yo @Kyle Lowry I’m still the president and you still the governor 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/xTbMj4bPWW
But No. 12 Villanova’s 70-61 survive-to-the-finish victory over St. John’s on Wednesday night was certainly a close second. The Wildcats had 13 turnovers, two offensive rebounds and trouble shaking the Red Storm until late on a night the program saluted Lowry by retiring his No. 1 jersey at halftime. Lowry, a five-time All-Star guard for the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, might have provided a dose of inspiration for the young Wildcats (22-6, 11-4 Big East). “We were commentating on his toughness and competitiveness,” Wright said. “That’s something the young guys have to learn.”
26 Feb
