One of the most touching moments from the NBA’s first week of the 2018-19 season came when a video surfaced of Kyle Lowry still doing the pregame handshake he once shared with DeMar DeRozan.
Only this time the handshake was obviously, and sentimentally, done by himself, with his best friend and former teammate DeRozan now in San Antonio.
Warning: If you haven’t seen the video below yet, hopefully you’re using a waterproof device as tears may ensue.
Think Kyle is missing DeMar? He's still doing the handshake routine they used to do before a game pic.twitter.com/VcJv7yRVAn
— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) October 18, 2018
Lowry spoke on NBA TV about his pregame routine still including a moment that honors DeRozan.
“That’s just been working for me for a long time,” Lowry said. “He’s still my dog. He’s my best friend in the world.”
The Raptors point guard said it’s become such a tradition he doesn’t want to stop it and risk throwing off his game.
“People saying, ‘He’s not dead, he’s in Texas.’ Hey listen, this is about me,” Lowry said. “This is about me keeping up with my tradition. Yeah, that’s my dog and he’s always gonna be my best friend. But it’s more about tradition.”
That tradition has continued to work well for Lowry so far this season. The four-time All-Star had a strong performance against the Wizards on Saturday, recording 28 points and 12 assists as Toronto moved to 3-0.
