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The Raptors’ New Kyle Lowry ‘GROAT’ Statue Is a Work of Art

The “Greatest Raptor of All Time” was honored Saturday with the unveiling of a dinosaur statue at a block party outside Toronto’s arena.
Tom Dierberger|
The Raptors unveiled a new Kyle Lowry-inspired statue outside Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
The Raptors unveiled a new Kyle Lowry-inspired statue outside Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. | Toronto Raptors/X

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Toronto Raptors

If you were stopped on the street and asked, Billy Eichner style, to name a Raptor, your first answer would probably be Vince Carter.

Carter’s best years were with the Raptors. He put the expansion franchise on the map in its infancy with his high-flying dunks in those iconic purple jerseys. If there was a list of the most popular NBA GIFs used on a daily basis among hoops fans, Carter’s “It’s over!” reaction from the 2000 dunk contest would rank in the top five. No doubt. 

But if you were to name the greatest Raptor of all time—aka the “GROAT”—the Raptors would like you to name Kyle Lowry. 

Toronto announced back in August that it is retiring Lowry’s No. 7 jersey later this season. No. 7 will rise up to the rafters at Scotiabank Arena in a ceremony following the Raptors’ matchup against the 76ers on Jan. 10. Leading up to the big night will be “GROAT Nights” over the same homestand, which include giveaways like a collectible T-shirt and a Lowry bobblehead. 

On Saturday, the Raptors honored Lowry at a block party outside Scotiabank Arena with plenty of fans and former teammates in attendance. The true star of the show, however, was the statue sitting in front of the stadium. Welcoming all of his former teammates and fans to the block party was a giant gold statue of a dinosaur, wearing a No. 7 Lowry jersey, dribbling a basketball with the name plate: “The Greatest Raptor of All Time. Kyle Lowry | 2012-2021, 2026.”

Is it strange the statue is a dinosaur instead of Lowry himself walking down the court? Perhaps a bit. But still, it rocks.

According to The Athletic’s Esfandiar Baraheni, the statue will be featured inside the Scotiabank Arena concourse during the season. 

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for years,” Lowry said in a statement when his jersey retirement was announced. “I always said that Toronto is home, and that I’d retire a Raptor, and to see my No. 7 go up in that building is going to mean everything to me. We built something special here—my teammates, the organization, the city and the fans, and all of Canada. We became champions together, and to be able to share this night with all of them, and with my family, is going to mean a lot to me.”

Lowry will become the second Raptors player to get his number retired, joining Carter, who watched his No. 15 jersey get inducted into Canadian immortality in 2024. Lowry has an idea for a third: former Raptors teammate DeMar DeRozan.

“Hopefully, we’re doing this again at some point when that No. 10 jersey is going up in the rafters,” Lowry said Saturday with DeRozan standing to his right.

Toronto’s marketing department has really rolled out the red carpet for the men behind its two retired jersey numbers. Just like for Lowry, the Raptors released a special-edition Raptors logo in Carter’s likeness. The dino in the logo was throwing down a between-the-legs dunk just like Carter did in the 2000 dunk contest.

It doesn’t get much cooler than that. 

Lowry, a first-round pick by the Grizzlies in 2006, didn’t play his first game in a Raptors uniform until his seventh season in the NBA, arriving in Toronto via a trade with the Rockets. It was in Toronto where Lowry’s career took off, as he was named an All-Star for five straight years from 2015 to ’20. Lowry led the Raptors to unprecedented heights over his tenure, advancing to the playoffs seven straight years from 2015 to ’20 and winning the 2019 NBA Finals—the first and only title in franchise history.

Lowry, who signed a one-day contract in July to retire as a Raptor, is the franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers (1,518), assists (4,277), steals (873) and triple-doubles (16). He also ranks second behind his longtime Raptors running mate DeMar DeRozan in games played (601) and points (10,540). 

And, yes, he’s a fan of the “GROAT” nickname. 

"I like the name, it’s funny, but as long as the fans say it," Lowry said back in 2024 before a 76ers-Raptors game. "For me, it just shows how much [the fans] loved me and they respect me. I gave pretty much everything—blood, sweat, tears, championship, losses, wins—I gave everything to this place and I continue to get the fruits of my labor by coming back up here, the fans and everybody around. It's a pretty cool name."

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger leads Sports Illustrated’s NBA coverage as the Deputy News Director. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at Fox Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor’s in communication from St. John’s University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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