Having played for most of his career with the Toronto Raptors, it is no surprise that Kyle Lowry is very close with global megastar and Toronto native, Drake. Drake is a die-hard Toronto Raptors fan, having grown up in the city. Drake also shares a very close relationship with the franchise. Lowry left the Raptors during the offseason but he and Drake are still close, and even played a game of 1-on-1 recently.
Kyle Lowry ended up beating Drake quite handily in that game. And in a recent interview with Complex, Lowry even told Drake not to play him again. But Lowry did give Drake some props, noting that his game has improved significantly since he met him. Speaking about the private tournament Drake holds each year at his mansion, Lowry noted that he would play when he retired so that Drake doesn’t win (2nd slide).
“I beat his a**. Drake, don’t try me again boy. He does it every time. Every time, he’s like ‘lets play 1s’. Why? But as a competitor, you gotta appreciate it, but yeah, he don’t want that smoke. He’s gotten better though. He’s worked on his jump shot a lot, worked on his handle a lot. From the time I first seen him to now, he’s gotten a lot better and he always, has his own league, somehow he wins that every time. When I retire, I might have to go play a stint up there and make sure he don’t win.”
Lowry and Drake obviously share a good relationship with each other, as Lowry sounded like he was talking about a close friend. Drake was sitting courtside for many Raptors games during Lowry’s stint. He was even a big figure during Lowry and the Raptors’ incredible run to the 2019 NBA championship, and during their parade, Lowry and Drake could be seen celebrating with each other.
There is no denying the importance of Kyle Lowry to the Raptors franchise. Many consider Lowry to be the greatest Raptor in the history of the franchise, as he spent many years there, was a regular All-Star, and played a crucial role in their 2019 NBA championship win alongside Kahwi Leonard.
