Raptors news: Is DeMar DeRozan salty over Kyle Lowry jersey retirement?

DeMar DeRozan was quick to react as Kyle Lowry was announced as the first ever player to have his jersey retired by the Toronto Raptors.

Kyle Lowry has been announced as the first ever player to have his jersey retired by the Toronto Raptors. One player who was quick to react was his best friend and longtime teammate DeMar DeRozan.

The Raptors plan to retire Kyle Lowry's No. 7 jersey after he retires, per @JaredWeissNBA

Lowry would be the first Raptor to see his jersey hung in the rafters pic.twitter.com/JX4VlCqmII

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 7, 2021

His OG Raptors running mate DeMar DeRozan posted a two-word reaction on Instagram with side eye photo to go with it.

“Yea, Ight…,” said the former Raptors star.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DeMar DeRozan (@demar_derozan)

There's no doubt that DeRozan is happy for Kyle Lowry after hearing about the well-deserved news. But you can't help but imagine that DeMar feels even just a little bit slighted after being passed over as the first Raptor ever to have his name in the rafters. After all, he was drafted by the franchise and arrived in Toronto a full three seasons prior.

DeRozan was there every step of the way as the Raptors climbed from bottom-feeding franchise to perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse. He was the prized return that netted them Kawhi Leonard as well, getting sacrificed by the front office in order to win their first NBA championship. Some Raptors fans were vocal about it as well.

How is DeRozan's jersey not first, 9 years of amazing service, best player on all those Raps playoff teams

— Slickeezy (@rockstarbeast24) August 7, 2021

Unpopular opinion: demar derozan was a more productive, efficient and overall better raptor than Kyle Lowry. Derozan’s Jersey should be retired first in Toronto instead of Lowry

— Mitch 🇺🇸 (@j_mitch40) August 7, 2021

DeMar DeRozan has every right to be the first Raptor ever to have his number retired. But at the same time Kyle Lowry is fully deserving of the honor as well after serving his own nine seasons in Toronto, including being an integral part of their title team. At the end of the day, both players will be up there and will be celebrated by fans for decades to come.