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Kyle Lowry gave his first press conference as a member of the Miami Heat on Friday, and it finally started to sink in that the six-time All-Star is officially part of the team. Lowry was obtained in a sign-and-trade deal that sent Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa to the Toronto Raptors.
Lowry signed his three-year $85 million contract on August 6, and despite his age, is expected to be a dominant offensive force. The 35-year-old remains one of the top point guards in the entire league. Last season, he averaged 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game.
After nine seasons with the Raptors, Lowry is pumped to take his talents to South Beach, especially after the Heat acquired P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris, and resigned Duncan Robinson. Not to mention the team’s core All-Star duo that is Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
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“On paper it looks great,” Lowry said of the Heat’s new roster, as reported by the Miami Herald‘s Anthony Chiang. “But you have to put the work in on the floor.”
“I don’t ever try to say, ‘Oh, we can do this and we can do that.’ At the end of the day, you still gotta go out there and lace them up and go out there and do your job,” Lowry continued. “Play defense, score, put the ball in the hole. It looks good, but you have to find a way to put it together. If you don’t find a way to put it together, it don’t mean jack.”
Lowry Said Playing Alongside Best Friend Jimmy Butler Will Be ‘Fiery’
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GettyMiami Heat star Jimmy Butler (R) discussed his close friendship with Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry (L) while speaking to sports journalist Lindsay Czarniak earlier this year.
When asked what it will be like playing alongside his buddy Jimmy Butler, “Fiery,” Lowry said, per Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman. “That’s how it’s going to be on the court every day.”
The two got to know each other as members of Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a few years later, Butler, 31, asked Lowry to be the godfather of his daughter Rylee, who was born in 2019.
Lowry said Butler has been trying to get him to Miami for a long time, but wouldn’t have been mad if he ultimately decided to sign with another team.
He kind of was continuing to chirp about it and talk to me about it. But as a true friend, it doesn’t matter what decision I made, he was going to support me. But he was really on me about coming to the Heat and kind of fulfilling some things that we talked about before and trying to possibly play together.
Lowry Is Looking to Take Miami ‘To That Highest Level’
With Butler, Lowry is confident the team will do big things this season. “We’ll now be every single day going to work and battling against other teams in the NBA and trying to get to that highest level,” Lowry said.
“I’m not like a crazy fiery yelling type of guy, except on the court,” he continued. “But I’m really excited for the opportunity. I’m not going to talk about it too much. I just want to get out there and be able to do my job at a high level and try to take this organization back a level where it once was.”
Lowry’s words must’ve been music to Heat president Pat Riley’s ear. After the veteran guard signed his contract, Riley put out the following statement: “Kyle Lowry is a great leader and an exceptional defender. As a point guard, he will bring important skills to run the offense, score the ball and defend with the very best.”
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