Kyle Lowry on return to Toronto, Fred VanVleet's game and Scottie Barnes

Former Toronto Raptor Kyle Lowry discusses the warm ovation he received from fans, the emotions throughout the night, Fred VanVleet passing his Raptors record for threes in a season and what he told Scottie Barnes after the game.

Video Transcript

- Don't leave that there. - I won't. - [INAUDIBLE]. - All right, do we have any hands on Zoom, please? And we'll start with Josh Moser, Channel 7. Go ahead. JOSH MOSER: Hi, Kyle. How special was tonight for you? KYLE LOWRY: It meant the world to me. You know, for the fans to show their appreciation, give me an ovation like that, you know, to be out on the floor with some of my former teammates, my brothers. You know, I got an opportunity to see Bobby Massie, just all the people around. It was one of those days where the first time is always special. And you-- you don't forget that. And, you know, I think the organization that showed how classy they are. And they showed me you know that everything I did here have meant the world to them just like, you know, vise versa. - All right, we're good here on Zoom. If there are any questions in the room, go ahead. - Yes, Kyle, was it almost a little overwhelming? I know you thought you weren't going to cry. KYLE LOWRY: Yeah, I didn't. - But well done. But just seeing so many people, having so many people to say hi to and hug after [INAUDIBLE], was it kind of-- did it kind of get your brain? KYLE LOWRY: Yeah, well, it just brings back memories. It just brings back great memories. You know, I got to see a lot of people that, like I said, helped me get to this point. And the people that you don't get to see every single day, the people that, you know, that don't get, the-- you know, the visibility, those are the people that you get to see and you're so proud and happy to see. It means everything to, you know, that they share the love that, you know, I love them. And they love me the same. - Just like sometimes at a wedding or something. Right? It's confusing. Were the people like that for you? KYLE LOWRY: Yeah, it was cool. It was good to see everybody, and, you know, it's something I'm going to cherish for a long, long time. And it made it good. And I got the win. So it made it better. But even if I didn't win, it was a great night, a special night. And I'm so happy that I was able to play for this franchise and organization and give as much as I get-- I gave to this franchise. - Kyle, I know you've talked about those first few practices in training camp with Fred in 2016 and how he earned your respect right away by going right at you and [INAUDIBLE]. Is that what it's been like in practice over the years in terms of-- KYLE LOWRY: It was a little bit-- he picked me up a lot further than I wanted tonight. So it wasn't that aggressive. But-- oh, congratulations, Freddie. He broke the single season record. So I was able to see that tonight, and I'm happy and proud of him that he broke my single season four 3's. And he's going to continue to build that. So it's one record down. I'm happy he's got, yeah, as I was. That's why, you know, if you guys watch him and see what he did tonight and how aggressive and how assertive he was, that's just who he is. And that's why he's-- you know, that's why I was to be able to pass the torch. So for-- to say to someone like that, and I was-- I'm happy to have done that. - Why was it important to bring your sons to Central Park with you? KYLE LOWRY: Because they watch-- they've been a part of this just as much as I've been a part of them. They've been a part of this and helped me. And I give them the world. And, you know, you guys know. They do everything-- I want them to be a part of everything. You know, the-- the-- the good, the bad, the celebration, the celebratory stuff, you know, it's important for them to see that and to be a part of it because they helped me become the man I am today. - Are you keeping that game ball for yourself? KYLE LOWRY: No., hell no. That was for Quinny and that was another game ball for Freddie. So they got two. Cody, you got to get one too. [LAUGHTER] - Did you have any sense of how many numbers 7s that were out there? KYLE LOWRY: No, I didn't, but I've seen a lot, and I'm telling you it's awesome. It's a great feeling. - [INAUDIBLE]. KYLE LOWRY: Yeah, it's-- like I said, it was amazing. It was unfathomable of how many people, you know? And plus, that means I'm old as hell because I was able to have so many jerseys. So nine years of jerseys. Pretty cool. The number 4, yeah, eight years, because then number 3 was trash. [LAUGHTER] - So, Scottie Barnes there, when you embraced him for a moment, what was it like playing against him? KYLE LOWRY: I just told him to keep going, man. He's a great talent, man. His-- his passionate effort, he's a special talent. And he's going to be one of those guys that leads a franchise and is going to be a cornerstone of the franchise. And he fits in perfectly here-- how hard he plays, how passionate he is for the game, and he's only going to continue to get better. And I just-- you know, I just told him to keep going. Don't stop. - How important was it to you guys in the second half to kind of turn the water off on Freddie a little bit? KYLE LOWRY: I mean, we just had to figure it out, you know, kind of butts him a little bit, get into him a little bit, make everything a little bit tougher on him. But I mean, he's an all-star for a reason. And, you know, we can't let the all-star one guy beat us, but we did a good job of adjusting our game plan and kind of figuring it out. And we found a way to get the win, which is huge for us.