Kyle Lowry Got His Own Day!
A lot of NBA players were appreciated this past week.
If you’re a fan of the Toronto Raptors, then you’re a fan of Kyle Lowry.
And if both of those things are true, then you’re ecstatic that Lowry got his own day.
If you haven’t heard the news yet, the mayor of Toronto, John Tory, has deemed April 3rd Kyle Lowry Day in the city.
The news was presented to him when the Miami Heat visited the Raptors on Sunday.
Lowry is a treasure -not just in Toronto, but nationally.
He’s done so much for Canadians on and off of the court.
Coming to the team in 2012, Lowry stuck with the Raptors for damn near a decade, helping them build a team culture that led to a championship title in 2019.
He was a tough, gritty player who encouraged his teammates to always go hard on defense and to not let a few missed shots get to them.
And even though he left in 2021 to join the Heat, he left behind a ton of knowledge and wisdom for his younger bros, who have been relying on it during this tough season (albeit, not as tough as the 2020-21 season).
Additionally, Lowry has done a lot of philanthropic work for the community.
In 2013, he founded the Lowry Love Foundation to help underprivileged kids in Toronto and Philadelphia, his hometown.
He is also a social justice leader, who led rallies and demonstrations in Toronto to call out anti-black racism.
Lowry, needless to say, is beloved in Canada and it’s great that he got recognized for his positive work.
Manu Ginobili and Tim Hardaway, Sr. Hall of Fame Induction
In other news that caught my attention, the San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginibili and the Miami Heat’s Tim Hardaway, Sr. are being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ginobili was a great player.
I remember the first few times I saw him play. I didn’t know who he was, but he just kept attacking the basket and juking defenders with good footwork and this caught my attention.
I just couldn’t understand how he was able to always free himself up in congested lanes.
But my fondest memory of him is something that happened recently: when he blocked James Harden in the last moments of Game 5 of the second round in 2017.
It was suspenseful.
Harden was on fire that season and no one seemed to know how to stop or slow him down. Scoring was seamless for him.
Dribble, dribble, cross, step-back 3, swish.
All day, every day.
So, when Harden went up for that 3-pointer, and Ginobili went up to block him from behind, it released all of this tension that was building up inside of me, like… (yeah, I thought of a dirty joke there, but I decided not to say it).
It was great!
Anywhoo…
Ginibili played alongside Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to form a big 3 that challenged and dominated the NBA for decades.
Together, they won 4 titles for San Antonio.
As for individual accomplishments, Ginobili was the 07-08 Sixth Man of the Year and is a 2-time NBA All-Star and 2-time All-Player.
I didn’t really follow Tim Hardaway’s career in-depth, but I have watched him play and, let me tell you, he’s fun.
His crossovers were so basic but killer… he broke ankles on a regular basis with it.
A lot of players today definitely studied his game.
In his 13 year career, he was deemed a 5-time NBA All-Star and a 5-time All-NBA player.
He was also responsible for making the Golden State Warriors a fan favorite and helped build the Miami Heat’s fan base.
Final Thoughts
A lot of accolades were handed out this past week to some great players, so congrats to all of them!
Which news were you most ecstatic about?
