How Kyle Lowry made Toronto believe in the Raptors

On July 11th, 2012, the Toronto Raptors were a directionless franchise. For most of their existence, they had been the laughing stock of the league. Save for a few years centered around Vinsanity, the team had no marquee names or moments. Coaches came and went. Players abandoned ship or didn’t show up, reluctant to deal with the metric system or the frigid winter temperatures. The city hadn’t won anything in any of the three major pro leagues since the 1990s, and basketball, of all o