Lowry played two seasons of college basketball with the Villanova Wildcats before he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft with the 24th overall pick. He began his NBA career with Memphis and the Houston Rockets before being traded to Toronto. In his second season with the Raptors, he helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in seven years and win an Atlantic Division title during the 2013–14 season. In 2015–16, he led the Raptors to 56 wins in what was then the highest win total in franchise history, as well as helped the team make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time.