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NBA Star Kyle Lowry Pledges $1 Million to Alma Mater Villanova

The Toronto Raptors all-star point guard committed $1 million to Villanova University, the school announced Sunday.

NBA star and Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry is lending a huge helping hand to his alma mater. The Toronto Raptors all-star point guard committed $1 million to Villanova University, the school announced Sunday.

The donation, which comes from Lowry as well as his wife Ayahna, is part of Villanova University’s capital campaign, “For the Greater Great: The Villanova Campaign to Ignite Change.” Launched publicly in October of 2013, the campaign aims to cultivate academic innovation across Villanova’s schools and colleges by recruiting top notch teachers and scholars as well as enhancing financial aid and student opportunities.

The donation is the largest single gift from a Villanova basketball alumnus and the university will name the men’s basketball locker room in the Pavilion the “Kyle Lowry Men’s Basketball Locker Room” in recognition of it.

"On behalf of the Lowry family--Karter, Kameron, Ayahna and myself--we are honored to be able to have this opportunity to give back to Villanova University in this form," Lowry said. "We are very excited about the `Kyle Lowry locker room'."

Lowry, 31, grew up in Philly and played basketball at Cardinal Dougherty High School. He remained in the area for college, playing for Coach Jay Wright and Villanova University for two years. During his sophomore season, Lowry was named to the All Big East second team.

Lowry spent his first seven years in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets. His career reached a significant turning point in 2012 when he was traded to the Toronto Raptors. With the Raptors, Lowry became a three-time NBA all-star and helped the team earn their highest win total in franchise history as well as a berth in the eastern Conference Finals in 2016. That same year, Lowry was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. men’s basketball national team in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Off the court, both Lowry and his wife are known for their philanthropy. They established the Lowry Love Foundation in 2013 which aims to help the underprivileged and disadvantaged in both Philadelphia and Toronto. Lowry was also named the winner of the Native Son Award by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association. He’s set to receive the award Monday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The Raptors will play the 76ers in Philly that same day.

Lowry’s donation to Villanova will help support the construction of a new locker room at the Pavilion, which is currently under renovation. The new locker room will feature 16 custom-made lockers, an audio system and video system for game film. The $60 million Pavilion renovation is being funded entirely through philanthropic commitments.

"We cannot thank Kyle and his family enough for the generosity and support of the Finneran Pavilion," said Mark Jackson, Director of Athletics. "To have his name associated with the men's basketball locker room where so much tradition has been established and where the nation's top players come to play is fitting on all fronts. I'm confident the Lowry name being highlighted upon entry into this space will provide daily inspiration to our players who want to achieve at the highest levels of basketball as Kyle has done with his own career."

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