Kyle Lowry spent 13 years chasing an NBA championship before finally getting the ring. His career is closer to the end than the beginning. He has made his money. His jersey will sway from rafters in Toronto one day. He will be a candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame a few years after retiring.
It begs the question: What is left? Lowry’s answer is succinct: “More.”
Getting that first NBA title last season finally satisfied one quest for the Toronto Raptors’ point guard — but also whet his appetite for another one, so the defending champions are returning to the NBA playoffs, with their on-court leader determined to win the whole thing once again.
“That feeling is unmatched,” Lowry said. “Other than my children being born, I don’t think I’ve had a feeling like that, ever.”
He has shown all season that the fire is real, too. Now 34 years old, Lowry led the Raptors to the best regular-season record in their franchise’s history.
Lowry was an All-Star for the sixth consecutive season. He averaged 19.7 points, 7.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game this season. The only other players in NBA history, at his age or older, to do that over a full year are LeBron James and Larry Bird.
Lowry runs the show: He is the point guard, the coach on the floor and the locker-room voice. While the roster might be different, the mission is the same.
“We’re the same exact team,” Lowry said. “We’re just trying to win every single game. That’s what we’ve always done.”
The second-seeded Raptors drew Brooklyn in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, a series that begins on Monday.
“We play for a higher level and now we’re playing for social injustices and keeping that conversation going,” Lowry said. “But we’re also playing to win a championship.”
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