Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry can't wait to make his return to Toronto on Sunday.
The former Raptors star wrote a column in the Players' Tribune on Friday ahead of the Heat's game at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. It will be Lowry's first game against the Raptors since he signed with the Heat last off-season.
"I’m excited as hell to play in Scotiabank Arena again, and to hear Raptors fans do their thing again. I’m excited to be on a court with Freddy and Pascal and O.G. again — if Masai is big bro, then those are my little bros, and they’re the guys now, they’re taking over. And I’m excited to experience that energy of Toronto basketball again," wrote Lowry, adding he wants to show his love to the city.
Lowry hasn't played in Toronto since February 2020 – before the pandemic forced the Raptors out of Toronto. He played one more season with the Raptors in 2020-21, when the team was based out of Tampa, Fla.
Lowry missed the first game in Toronto this season because he was out of the lineup for personal reasons. That game was played with no fans because of COVID-19 restrictions -- and Lowry told The Toronto Star's Doug Smith that he wasn't going to play in that contest, even if he was in the active lineup.
“You know me. I wasn’t going to do that without fans. There’s no way I was going back without fans, no matter what," Lowry told the Star.
Lowry wrote in the Players' Tribune that he'll always have a connection to Toronto.
"It’s never going to be a wrap between me and this city. With family, it’s never goodbye."
1:50
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.