Toronto sports news — the Kyle Lowry Key to the City ceremony turned Jurassic Park into one giant love letter on Saturday, as roughly 1,500 fans packed Maple Leaf Square for “Kyle’s Block Party,” a free daytime celebration for the greatest Raptor of all time.
By Maplestime News Desk | Toronto, Ontario | September 19, 2026
Sources: Sportsnet, CityNews, EssentiallySports, SI.com | Last updated: September 19, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Mayor Olivia Chow surprised Lowry by presenting him with the Kyle Lowry Key to the City during the free block party at Maple Leaf Square, presented by Tangerine.
- The daytime event kicked off at 11:30 a.m. with food stations, merch pop-ups, giveaways, a DJ and on-stage programming.
- DeMar DeRozan called Lowry “definitely the greatest Raptor of all time.”
- The Raptors unveiled a gold Raptor-dinosaur statue in a No. 7 jersey with a “Greatest Raptor of All Time” nameplate — it will live inside Scotiabank Arena’s concourse all season.
- Lowry’s No. 7 jersey will be retired on January 10, 2027, after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Kevin Love was booed for a “LeBronto” joke — then won the crowd back.
The Kyle Lowry Key to the City Presentation
The biggest surprise of the day came from the mayor’s office. Olivia Chow walked on stage unannounced, and the crowd roared.
“Kyle, I know you weren’t expecting me today,” Chow said.
“No, I wasn’t,” Lowry replied, as laughs rolled across Jurassic Park.
Chow told the crowd that Lowry “gave Toronto more than unforgettable moments on the court, he gave our city his heart,” adding that “his leadership, determination and generosity reflect the very best of Toronto.” She closed with the line that will live on highlight reels: “Kyle will always be a champion, a proud Torontonian and the Greatest Raptor of All Time. It is an honour to present him with the Key to the City.”
She also cited his toy drives, Thanksgiving dinners for families facing hunger, and his stake in the Toronto Tempo ownership group. And she reminded everyone what 2019 felt like: “That championship will always belong to Toronto. It brought our whole city together. Strangers hugging strangers, flags in every window, people hanging off lamposts. You will always be a Raptor. You will always be a champion.”
Lowry’s response to the whole day was pure Lowry: “Humbled by it.”
A Gold Dinosaur Wearing No. 7
The true star of the show, though, might have been the statue. Rather than a traditional bronze likeness of Lowry, the Raptors unveiled a stylized gold version of the team’s Velociraptor mascot — wearing a No. 7 Lowry jersey, dribbling a basketball. The nameplate reads: “The Greatest Raptor of All Time. Kyle Lowry | 2012-2021, 2026.”
A dinosaur instead of the man himself? It rocks. The statue will live inside the Scotiabank Arena concourse all season, per The Athletic’s Esfandiar Baraheni.
SI.com called the tribute a work of art. Not everyone agrees with the “Greatest Raptor of All Time” label — Vince Carter loyalists and Kawhi Leonard truthers have opinions — but the franchise has made its position clear.
The 2019 Crew Came Home
The guest list read like a championship reunion. DeMar DeRozan, Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, Danny Green and CJ Miles all took the stage, along with former head coach Nick Nurse. DeRozan, Lowry’s longest-running teammate, closed out the player tributes.
“It means the world to me to be able to be here to celebrate … the guy who finished this thing off. He’s definitely the greatest Raptor of all time. The things he’s been able to do for this city are amazing,” DeRozan said.
The lone awkward moment belonged to Kevin Love. The former Cavaliers star — the only guest who never played for the Raptors — was greeted with boos when he took the stage, and leaned straight into it: “This is Kyle’s day, but isn’t this LeBronto?” The crowd booed louder. Love grinned: “I’m just kidding, I love you guys.”
Watch the official Toronto Raptors highlights from the day:
Why This One Hits Different
Let’s put the resume on the table: nine seasons in Toronto, six All-Star selections, the 2019 championship, and franchise records for assists, steals and three-pointers. He signed a ceremonial one-day contract in July to retire a Raptor, and his Lowry Love Foundation has served Toronto youth and families for years.
The farewell isn’t over: when No. 7 rises on January 10, 2027, the Raptors will run “GROAT Nights” over the same homestand — a collectible T-shirt and a Lowry bobblehead among the giveaways.
“When we put this plan together, (a block party) was one of the things I wanted to do to show love to the fans, honestly, because they mean everything,” Lowry said Saturday. “This basketball thing wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for them. It turned out exactly how I thought it would.”
Maplestime will provide updates as this story develops.
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Is Kyle Lowry really the greatest Raptor of all time — or does that title still belong to Vince Carter? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Raptors fan who was in Jurassic Park today.
