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With his Philadelphia 76ers effectively having wrapped up a blowout victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, deep-bench veteran point guard Kyle Lowry was dusted off and checked into the contest for his first game action of the 2025-26 season, his 20th, at the 3:12 mark.
Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press/NBA.com writes that Lowry becomes just the 12th player to have suited up for at least 20 NBA seasons. At 39, Lowry is the third-youngest active player in the league, behind only 21-time All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers power forward LeBron James (who's in his record-breaking 23rd season this year, although he has yet to play) and 12-time All-Star L.A. Clippers point guard Chris Paul (who's in his 21st season).
Both James and Paul are 40, but unlike Lowry, each will be playing meaningful minutes for their respective squads this year.
'Officially in the books now'
“I guess he gets his 20th season officially in the books now by hitting the court,” said Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse, who coached Lowry to the 2019 championship on the Toronto Raptors. “Who would have thought it for Kyle Lowry 20 years ago, right?”
“He’s really done a great job, I think, just being part of our leadership group,” Nurse said. “Obviously, when the players are pulling for him out there, you can see that he’s well-liked, well-respected, all that kind of stuff.”
During his limited action on Sunday, Lowry took one shot in garbage time, a triple, and nailed it. The 6-foot Villanova product also chipped in a dime and a swipe.
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“That’s a Hall of Famer we’re talking about,” All-Star 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey said. “Jersey’s probably getting retired in Toronto. And he’s up cheering for everybody, motivating people, talking in the locker room. I’ve got nothing but love and respect for K-Low and we appreciate having him.”
Lowry made six All-Star teams and one All-NBA team while with the Raptors from 2012-21. During his nine years up north, Lowry averaged 17.5 points on .425/.377/.825 shooting splits, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals a night. Mostly thanks to achievements with Toronto — including being the second-best player on the aforementioned title team — Lowry seems likely to have a shot at cracking the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
Whenever Lowry finally hangs up his sneakers for good (which seems to be soon, given that he's no longer a rotation player), his future is already secured. He signed a long-term deal with the new Amazon Prime Video broadcast team to serve as a contributing analyst, even while he's still an active player.
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