Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry Selected as All-Star Starter

When the Toronto Raptors signed Kyle Lowry to an extension this past summer, this is what president and general manager Masai Ujiri was hoping would happen. On Thursday night, the NBA announced on TNT during a live broadcast that Lowry was voted in as not only an Eastern Conference All-Star, but would be in the starting backcourt, along with Washington Wizards guard John Wall.

For Lowry, the ninth-year Villanova product, it represents his first appearance as an All-Star. After signing a four-year, $48 million contract with the Raps in July last summer, he’s having his best year as a pro so far, with per game averages of 19.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds, all career-highs.

The 24th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Lowry seems to have finally found a home up north. He’s also doing it as the leader of a Raptors team that is on its way to a second straight Atlantic Division title and playoff appearance.

After the news broke, he was unable to control his excitement on his selection, taking to Twitter and Instagram to give thanks:

As much as he deserves the selection, there were many who were surprised by him being chosen as a starter. That’s not to say that he didn’t deserve it, but because just a few weeks ago, Lowry trailed Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade by nearly 100,000 votes to be a starter.

Doug Smith of TheStar.com gives us a clue on how he was able to surpass Wade, a 10-time All-Star in his 12 seasons:

"“The 28-year-old Lowry, who garnered Twitter support from the likes of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Toronto Mayor John Tory and federal opposition leader Justin Trudeau — all cognizant of the power of sports and social media with young voters — made up a deficit of nearly 100,000 votes in the last three weeks to pass Miami’s Dwyane Wade and grab one of two Eastern back-court starting spots.”"

Having friends in powerful places never hurts, does it?

Lowry becomes the first Raptors All-Star starter since Chris Bosh in 2008, and just the fifth Toronto Raptor in franchise history to be chosen for the game, according to Smith.

Teammate DeMar DeRozan became the fourth ever by the franchise when he was selected last year for the first time in his career. Let’s not forget, he wouldn’t be there without the support of the fans either.

Raptors fans seem to me like some of the most loyal and dedicated fans in the NBA. After all, they only have one basketball team they can support in their country, which seems almost impossible to imagine for a fan living in the United States.

I’ve never been to a home game at the Air Canada Centre, but I’ve watched several games when they play on the road, specifically against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not surprisingly, Raps fans flooded the upper sections in droves, including several of the lower areas as well.

From what I could see, they were all sporting Raptors gear (duh), and had so many signs that said “We the North” it was like the Cavs management had laid them on their seats before they arrived as a promotional giveaway. On top of that, one section had an enormous flag with that same battle cry on it, jumping up and down to show their diehard-ness after they stomped Cleveland at home.

If I noticed that from just a few televised games this season, how do you think Lowry feels after entering his third season with the club? Per Smith at TheStar.com:

"“Thank you to the wonderful Raptors fans across the NBA, especially in Canada! I am amazed by your passion for our team and the support you have given me,” he said in a press release put out by the team. “When I re-signed here this summer I said one of the great things is being able to play for an entire country. This is further proof how really special that is.”"

Maybe the All-Star selection will help provide some type of spark for Toronto, who has stumbled out of the gate in 2015 so far.

Coming off a 92-86 loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday in Memphis, the Raptors are now just 3-7 in January, and 3-8 in their past 11 games since Dec. 30. Over those 11 games, they’re posting an offensive rating of 99.9 and a defensive rating of 105.9. In the 31 games prior to their rough stretch, the Raptors posted an offensive rating of 112.3 and a defensive rating of 104.1.

The 27-15 Raps are trending in the wrong direction right now, but maybe this can bring the team a sense of pride and get them back to their winning ways from the first couple months of the season.

If anyone can help turn things around, it’s the first-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.

Do you feel Lowry deserves to be a starter in the backcourt at the All-Star Game?

All stats via Basketball-Reference and NBA.com.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time