Kyle Lowry is endearingly competitive and stubborn and difficult.
Especially during a Raptors practice at UCLA during the 2017-18 season.
Lowry’s teammates that year, DeMar DeRozan and Fred VanVleet, told the story on Instagram (warning: profanity in video).
VanVleet:
I tell people that story all the time. People who don’t know the NBA, I be like, “This is the NBA right here.” I tell people that story all the time.
I don’t think he wanted to practice, first. Let’s just say that.
So, we played L.A. We stayed. We go out – most of us. I don’t know who all went. Some of us went out. Most of the young guys.
But the next day – that was our bench mob year – the next day, we started playing five-on-five. Casey put the time up. We’re busting y’all ass like crazy, by like 20 in five minutes. Coach is tripping.
He ain’t really engaged, so Casey tried to take him out. He’s like, “Nah, I ain’t coming out.” So the man is sitting down Indian style. The man is sitting down criss-cross applesauce on the court like, “If I’m out, practice is over.”
DeRozan:
He tell us to go to the next court. Remember, he said, “Go to the next court. We’re going to keep playing.” The motherf—er took the ball and said, “If I ain’t practicing, nobody practicing.”
I swear to god, that’s one of my favorite Low stories.
VanVleet:
That’s all-time. That’s definitely all-time.
DeRozan:
He took the ball and, “If I ain’t practicing, ain’t nobody practicing.”
VanVleet:
At no level ever in life have I ever seen anything like that. I was like, “Yo, this is the NBA dog?” But people don’t understand, you’ve got to manage them people. Y’all are some crazy dudes, man.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet filled in some of the details:
The other was Fred & DeMar on an infamous practice at UCLA (17/18?) where Kyle went on ‘strike’, mad about calls in scrimmage (?). Sat on the floor, wouldn’t move. Casey moves team to the other court and Lowry sits in the middle of that one too! Practice over! Miss the NBA.2/2.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) March 31, 2020
I actually asked around about this one for a feature I did on Kyle in playoffs last year but no one confirm it on the record so I worked around it. Should have just went with it I guess ?: https://t.co/hIvEmPrfth
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) March 31, 2020
This reminds me of the time Andrew Bynum infamously shot every time he touched the ball – even from halfcourt – during a Cavaliers practice.
The big difference: Lowry is a winner, and Bynum was a malcontent. Though it’d be easy to spin this story as a negative for Lowry, he gets and deserves the benefit of the doubt.
I bet even then-Raptors coach Dwane Casey – who butted heads with Lowry before developing a stronger bond – was at least somewhat charmed by Lowry’s rebelliousness. Though maybe not at the time.