Lowry, now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, wore Matthews’ jersey prior to Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Prior to the game, Lowry spoke to reporters, where he spoke about his civic connection to Toronto, and his own legacy with the Raptors.
“You guys know Auston, I don’t know how long he’s been here [in Toronto] now, but [it feels like] he’s been here literally the whole time with me,” Lowry said prior to Sunday’s game. “I respect the hell out of Auston, and we have a mutual relationship.”
“You know I had to pay the tribute to my city,” Lowry said. “I’m a Maple Leafs guy, and Auston, that’s a great jersey. I appreciate him and I wanted to show support for the city.”
Lowry spent nine seasons with the Raptors, emerging as one of the greatest players in franchise history. He made six All-Star games with the Raptors, becoming the franchise leader in assists and steals, while leading the team to their first NBA title in 2019. Lowry also spoke about his own legacy with the Raptors, and the prospect of his No. 7 eventually being retired.
“I don’t know if it’s going to go up!” Lowry said, with a laugh. “I don’t know. Y’all ever seen me cry? It depends on how Matt (Devlin) does it. If it does, and when it does, it will be a super emotional day. I put a lot of blood, sweat tears in that (No. 7) and to know it probably won’t be worn again, it would be pretty special. For my basketball legacy, it’s pretty darn cool.”
Matthews, for what it’s worth, was thrilled to see Lowry’s tribute.
“Pretty cool,” Matthews said of Lowry via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “He’s obviously a Raptors legend, Toronto legend, and a guy I got a lot of respect for. I bumped into him a few times in my tenure here, and he’s been nothing but class. So it was pretty cool to see him wear that jersey.”
Matthews has become an icon of his own during his decade with the Maple Leafs, but it may take a championship for him to be revered in the same company as Lowry and the 2019 Raptors. It’s clear that there’s mutual admiration between two Toronto legends, and Matthews recently surpassed Mats Sundin to become the
Leafs’ all-time goals leader.
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