Kyle Lowry has announced that he will stay with his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The six-time All-Star guard shared his decision on Instagram on Thursday. According to ESPN, the 38-year-old Lowry will sign a one-year contract.
A native of North Philadelphia and a Villanova graduate, Lowry joined the Sixers last February after being traded from Miami to Charlotte and then bought out by the Hornets.
During the regular season, Lowry averaged 8.0 points and 4.6 assists in 23 games, starting 20 of them. He remained an important part of Philadelphia’s lineup during their playoff run, which ended in a first-round loss to New York.
Lowry is an 18-year NBA veteran, and only 25 players in league history have played 19 or more seasons. Among active players last season, only LeBron James, P.J. Tucker, Taj Gibson, and Chris Paul are older than Lowry.
His decision to return marks another bold move for the revamped 76ers, who are aiming to contend for a championship. They recently added Paul George to a roster led by Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
George joined Philadelphia on a four-year, $212 million deal after leaving the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent this summer, while Maxey agreed to a five-year, $204 million extension.
In addition to retaining Kelly Oubre Jr., the Sixers bolstered their squad by signing veteran free agents Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond, hoping to maximize Embiid’s prime years. Philadelphia has not reached the Eastern Conference finals since 2001.
Lowry has played for five NBA teams and has a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, as well as an Olympic gold medal from 2016.
