Former Heat guard Goran Dragic wears No. 1 in Toronto Out of Respect for Kyle Lowry
For six and a half seasons, guard Goran Dragic wore the No. 7 with the Miami Heat.
He was traded to the Toronto Raptors in the offseason and had every opportunity to continue wearing the number. But Dragic said no out of respect for Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, the player he was trade for.
"I've been in this league for quite a while and I know that Kyle, he brought a championship to this organization," Dragic during the Raptors' media day Monday. "So I do believe that probably his jersey is going to be in the rafters."
Lowry's number will definitely be retired at some point. He will become the first retired in the organization, ahead of Raptors greats Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.
Instead, Dragic returned to the No. 1, the jersey he wore his second run with the Phoenix Suns. The decision not to pursue No. 7 followed an earlier nice gesture by Dragic.
Shortly after the trade, Lowry phoned Dragic to ask if it was OK to wear No. 7 in Miami. Even though Dragic's approval wasn't required, he obliged.
"It was nothing," Dragic said. "He asked me for the number I said, 'Yeah, no problem, you’re my guy. You know he won a championship and everything so he deserved it. So I'm happy that he can wear number seven in Miami."
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