Sixers enjoy ovation Kyle Lowry received from Raptors fans in return

The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors on Sunday featured more than just a regular season contest in late March. The Sixers feature a couple of Raptors legends who made another return to Canada.

Coach Nick Nurse, who was an assistant coach in Toronto for five seasons and head coach for another 10, and Kyle Lowry, who is arguably the greatest player in Raptors franchise history, received a lot of love from the Raptors fans on Sunday. When they were introduced pregame, Nurse and Lowry received a nice ovation from the Scotiabank Arena crowd.

Lowry has made his return to Toronto plenty of times as a member of the Miami Heat before, but it’s still a lot of love from the Raptors fans as he received the ovation on Sunday.

“They gave a really good cheer for Kyle,” Nurse told reporters after the win over the Raptors. “I like to see that. He’s–seriously–he’s, in my mind, I was there 10 years or nine years with him. He’s certainly, if not the best, one of the best ever play here.”

Lowry expressed his desire to eventually sign a one-day contract with the franchise to retire as a member of the Raptors. He spent nine seasons with Toronto and won a title with them in 2019 and he gave the same sentiment on Sunday.

“The relationships that I created here that I’ll have forever and I always see the same people over and over and I enjoy seeing those same people,” Lowry added. “My places I go to—I can’t tell you. They’re my places—but I get to go there. They take very care of me and like I said, this is home and I said it before. I said it many times. My last day as a player is going to be a Toronto Raptor.”

Of course, Nurse addressed his return to Toronto for the first time back in October. He received another ovation on Sunday.

“Listen, I keep saying this, it was 10 amazing years here, right?” said Nurse. “Really, really amazing. A lot of, a lot of, a lot of wins, right? So it’s where I started in the NBA. I don’t know anything different other than Toronto and now, half a year in Philly, right? So it’s nice.”

For now, Lowry, and Nurse, are looking to help the Sixers move forward. One has to wonder what Philadelphia can do once Joel Embiid returns.