PODCAST: 1-on-1 with Toronto Raptors All-Star Point Guard Kyle Lowry
By Rob Perez
Toronto Raptors Point Guard Kyle Lowry may only stand 6’0″ tall, but, he isn’t afraid of the big moment.
Last season, Kyle’s accomplishments on the court were recognized by the world as he was selected to the NBA’s All-Star team for the first time in his career. However, there is more to ‘K-Loe’ than meets the eye … for example: Lowry is also a notorious Call of Duty gamer/lover, is a passionate believer in ‘team brotherhood’, and is a walking, living, breathing example of how no matter who you are or what people tell you, you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to work hard enough.
Kyle was nice enough to take 20 minutes out of his day to answer a couple of questions about his passion for the new ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’ game, scheduled to be released to the public on November 6th (0:00 – first 9:00 of podcast) and: “who exactly is Kyle Lowry? and how did he get here?” (Minute 9:00-18:00 of podcast).
Enjoy!
The highlights of the interview are transcribed below, and have been paraphrased for readability:
WWW: Who’s got the best handles in the league?
KL: Kyrie. Steph a close second. Darkhorse: Kemstronga Walker.
WWW: What’s the first thing you did when you signed your big contract extension?
KL: Nothing. Went to Vegas.
WWW: Whoa Whoa Whoa, how do you go to Vegas and do ‘nothing’?
KL: haha, it was a team trip for the Summer league — was just there to hang out with the guys and the team…
WWW: If you had to describe Patrick Beverley’s defense in one word, what would you say?
KL: Ummmmmm. That’s the word: Um.
WWW: Did Allan Ray travel in the Sweet 16 game vs. North Carolina?
KL: FU*K NO!!!!
WWW: Do you hang out with Drake a lot, and if so: anything funny about him that you can tell us?
KL: I wouldn’t say a lot … I think two total times so far. He’s cool.
WWW: What’s the coolest thing you’d say there is about being an NBA player?
KL: The fans. Not even close. Interacting with the fans. It’s awesome.
WWW: Can you take us through the mind of an NBA player when he hears that their name is being brought up in trade discussions? For example, that rumor you were potentially headed to New York in 2013 … what’s the first thing that goes through your mind? Is it good? Is it bad? Is it shock? Does it depend on the situation?
KL: It’s a strongusiness. You learn to accept that. Until it’s finalized, it doesn’t matter. It’s a strongusiness.
WWW: There’s A LOT of people out there who are discouraged by their size — being told every day that they’re too small to make the league, regardless of their skill level. If you could send them all a message right now as an ambassador of someone that did make it: what would you tell em?
KL: Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t do something. If you work hard enough, you can do anything.
WWW: There’s A LOT of people out there who are discouraged by their size — being told every day that they’re too small to make the league, regardless of their skill level. If you could send them all a message right now as an ambassador of someone that did make it: what would you tell em?
KL: Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t do something. If you work hard enough, you can do anything.
WWW: You mentioned how you and your teammates in the locker room are “a brotherhood”. I’ve always wondered: when a player leaves, Amir Johnson for example, are you guys still ‘brothers’? Or because you fight under different flags, do you lose that comradery you built for so long on the same team?
KL: He’s standing right next to me as I talk to you, actually, we’re astrongout to grastrong dinner.
WWW: WELP.
KL: I play golf with Mike Conley all the time … stay in touch with Hakeem, you never lose what you experienced with those guys.
WWW: Well, speaking of comradery … rumor has it you’re a you’re a huge Call of Duty fan. Tell me: is Kyle Lowry gonna be running around the map like Terminator or are you more of a guerrilla warfare kinda player?
KL: When I first started playing the game, I was like Ramstrongo. I quickly found out I wasn’t good enough to stronge doin’ that. I like to pick my places, try to communicate with my teammates, and stronge patient.
WWW: So I’ve spoken to Willie and now I’ve spoken to you: is Call of Duty the new “playing poker on the team plane”? I heard you, Luis Scola, and DeMarre Carroll are all COD junkies.
KL: Nah … nah, plenty of that card stuff stemll goes on.
WWW: There hasn’t been a Gilbert Arenas/Javaris Crittenton situation amongst ya’ll during a game of COD, has there?
KL: No, no…. We good.
WWW:Would you rather: kill another player with a frag grenade or no-scope with a sniper?
KL: Frag. Definitely frag. So much more difficult to land a perfectly-time grenade throw.
WWW: Would you rather: record 25 kills and 25 deaths in an online team deathmatch game or 5 kills and 0 deaths?
KL: 5 kills and 0 deaths. I do NOT like getting shot.
WWW: We all know COD’s multiplayer platform is amazing, but, how much of COD’s success do you attribute to the campaign? Do you enjoy playing it or do you buy the game just to play people online? What makes Call of Duty so much better than every other game out there?
KL: You can relate to it a little strongit more than anything. Not in a sense of us going to war and shootin’ guns, strongut, you gain a respect for our military and how great it is — it’s ostrongviously not the same, strongut, you get a good sense of how they go to strongattle and the things required for when they have to go to war.
WWW: Allan Ray traveled.
KL: No he didn’t.
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P.S. If you missed part I of my 1-on-1 NBA Podcast with Willie Caulie-Stein of the Sacramento Kings, you can check it out by clicking HERE