Kyle Lowry happy to be back
The National Basketball League has been suspended since March 11th, but is close to resuming as teams and players are already in Florida preparing to conclude the 2019-20 campaign. While a few players have already decided that they will not be travelling to Florida or playing when the league returns, Toronto Raptors’ All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry is not one of them.
“I’m a big fan of how everything has come together and to see the work that the league has put in and the time they’ve put in,” Lowry said on a conference call from Disney World, via Sportsnet.
“… [The] protocols are unbelievable. I think [the NBA’s] protocols and our health and safety measures have been top notch, I think this thing will work perfectly, I think the league, the player’s association has done a great job — a phenomenal job — of making sure that we’re doing everything that we can possibly do to make sure that we’re healthy, we’re safe and we’re in an environment where we can be successful and to do our jobs at a high level.”
The Toronto Raptors are the defending NBA champions after they knocked off the Golden State Warriors in six games last year to claim their first ever championship. While NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard left for the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason, the majority of the team led by Lowry remains unchanged.
Lowry isn’t just a leader on the court or in the locker room though, as Raptors’ head coach was quick to point out how much the veteran did for the Players’ Association to ensure the league would be able to return safely.
“[Lowry] was a big part with the Players Association of getting us here and obviously again, he’s a leader and he was a part of that.
“And having him as the guy who’s kind of setting the example — he’ll say to these guys, ‘take this stuff seriously, take these protocols seriously, let’s be smart and let’s do it’ and I think it certainly resonates with the rest of the team.”
The 34-year-old remains the longest serving member of the team, having been traded to the club back on July 11, 2012 by the Houston Rockets in exchange for a first-round pick and Gary Forbes. A trade that ended up being a steal for the Raptors with the point guard named to the All-Star Game for the last six consecutive seasons. The Raptors have also reached the postseason for the last six consecutive seasons with Lowry and will make it a seventh this year when the NBA resumes.
Lowry also took the time to speak about what has been happening across the United States with protests and calls for racial equality falling the tragic murder of George Floyd.
“It wasn’t just the George Floyd protests,” he said. “It was the protest of social injustices. It was protests for Black people in general. We are in a time where we need to keep that conversation going. We need to be heard from. We need to speak loud and clear. We need to understand that things need to be done for the situation to be changed, laws to be changed. Opportunities need to be given for things to be better. It wasn’t just about one person …. this time we needed to speak up and needed to do something.
“For me to be a part of that, that’s who I am. That’s how I am. That’s how I grew up. I grew up a Black man in America. It’s definitely a tough thing to grow up that way, because you never know what could possibly happen to you. You never know if you’re going to make it out. For me to be able to talk to you guys is a blessing. So, for me to be able to do that, it’s my right, my duty and my honour to represent the Black culture.”
The NBA Final is scheduled to take place in October, meaning that teams could be forced to stay in the NBA bubble away from friends and family for up to nine weeks. However, it is a sacrifice most players seem willing to make in order to win an NBA championship.
