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PHILADELPHIA -- The number is 3,746.Thats how many minutes Kyle Lowry logged en route to becoming an Eastern Conference finalist and Olympic gold medalist in 2015-16.The 30-year-old point guard appeared in 105 out of a possible 110 games between the regular season, playoffs and international competition, validating all the hard work he had put in during the offseason to get himself in the best shape possible.And yet here he was a week after becoming a champion for the first time in his career, hosting a basketball clinic for kids and receiving the key to the city for his significant contributions to the community on a sweltering summer day 15 minutes from where he grew up.Its a blur, but its been a blessing, said Lowry, a North Philly native. I wish I had a ring and a gold medal like Kyrie Irving, but Ill take the gold medal for now. This is the biggest basketball accomplishment that Ive ever had.Lowry went 0-3 in title games (one public league, two catholic league) as a high schooler. In college, his Villanova Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual champion Florida. And as a pro, hed reached the postseason four times but never advanced past the conference finals.So after Team USA routed Serbia to capture the gold, Lowry was sure to take home a second souvenir: the game ball.Its alive. Its around. Its simmering somewhere, he said, laughing.If he has another big season, Lowry could potentially become the NBAs highest paid player in 2017-18. An 11-year veteran, hed be eligible for a starting salary of $33.5 million and a five-year total of $196 million, according to ESPNs Larry Coon.Lowrys agent, Andy Miller, says the expectation is that Lowry will opt out at the end of the 2016-17 campaign to maximize his earning potential, which makes perfect financial sense. Lowry is entering the third year of a four-year, $48 million deal he signed in 2014, which contains a fourth-year player option.Miller says Lowry is extremely confident both mentally and physically with Toronto Raptors training camp underway. And despite the shortened offseason, Miller said Lowry brought his trainer with him to Rio during the Olympics to ensure he was doing his best to remain healthy and fit. Miller also commended Lowry for accepting the backup point guard role for USA coach Mike Krzyzewskis team, a sign of his maturation.Of course, it all goes back to his roots, when he was living on 20th and Lehigh.Lowrys feisty, hard-nosed game was fostered in the tough neighborhood where he grew up.Philadelphia made me who I am, Lowry said. Nothing was given to me, I had to earn it.He saw his father for the last time when he was 7 but was able to overcome his circumstances.All odds are against you: the crime, the drug abuse, the violence, Lowry said. My mom and my grandma did the best job they could and made as much money as they could to support me with a great life, and I had good people around me -- a lot of good friends who just wanted to play basketball. The odds are against you, but you find a way to get out.Lowrys older brother, Lonnie, introduced him to basketball at an early age. Hed often participate in streetball games with Lonnie and his friends, who were five years older.It was the start of a foundation that eventually saw him star at Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova before going No. 24 overall in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft. His career sputtered early in Memphis and Houston before he finally found his comfort zone in Toronto.Its special, said Lonnie, who was always hard on Kyle and helped fill the void of a male role model for his younger brother. His attitude -- having to be tough, not backing down -- was built back then. He is this city. He is Philadelphia.Lowrys mother, Marie Holloway, worked 10 years at the IRS and 15 years with the U.S. Postal Service to support her family as a single parent. And when she wasnt working, she was chauffeuring her youngest son to AAU practices and games.Hes just driven, Holloway said. Everything that he wants to do and sets his mind to do, he does it. And thats where that edge comes in. Because even now hes still small compared to everybody else, so he knew he had to be special.People ask me that all the time what did you do? I didnt do anything. I just followed directions. Wherever he needed to be, wherever his brother told me he needed to be, I just made sure that he was there. Ive driven halfway across the country -- to Memphis for nationals -- because we couldnt afford to fly out there.Holloway, who lives comfortably in South Jersey now, is extremely proud of how far Lowry has grown as a person.He really had a thing about trusting men and making sure they were really in his corner, Holloway said. But the thing about him is, if he loves you, he loves you. Theres really no gray area with him. Hes matured so much. He was 19 going into the NBA and I think he had to figure things out, realizing you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. But like I said, once he realizes that you really are about him and he trusts you, theres nothing he wont do for you.Over the last few years since hes gotten married and had children, Ive always loved him, but I really love him because now hes starting to let people see his personality. Hes a good kid. Eventually hell hit a wall, but hes still on high. Hes on a mission.Over the last three seasons, Lowry has averaged 19.0 points, 6.9 assists and shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range. He and teammate/best friend DeMar DeRozan put the Raptors on their backs during the playoffs in 2015-16, overcoming shooting struggles and nagging minor injuries to take Toronto where it had never been before as a franchise.I think I gave a lot, but I think I can find a way to give more. Thats my mentality, said Lowry, who had 35 or more points four different times during the postseason. At the end of the day, nobody cares about anything but winning and losing, and I dont care about anything but winning and losing. People can say that me and DeMar we didnt do this and we didnt do that, and yeah we didnt play well or we didnt shoot well, but we made the Eastern Conference finals, so we definitely did something right.With DeRozan back, a healthier DeMarre Carroll and the addition of Jared Sullinger to the frontcourt, Lowry promises things will be different next time around.That wont happen again, trust me. I promise you that, he said. Going through all that made me stronger. I learned from it and Im a better player for it. Last season is still raw, but now we have to take the next step and continue to get better and not be satisfied. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Black .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Cheap Hydro Flask 40 oz Wide Mouth Black Water Bottle . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. http://www.flaskwaterbottle.com/hydro-f ... -sale.html . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Cheap Hydro Flask Straw Lid 32 oz Wide Mouth Black Water Bottle . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Hydro Flask 24 Oz Sale . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. CLEVELAND -- Aaron Sanchez is being sent to the minor leagues as Toronto skips a start to limit his innings.Toronto optioned the 24-year-old right-hander to Class A Dunedin on Sunday. The Blue Jays plan to recall him to start against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 31.Sanchez is 12-2 with a 2.99 ERA, fifth-best in the American League. He has made 24 starts and thrown a career-high 156? innings. He likely will not pitch in the minors.Weve talked a lot about this over the year, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. Not just over the last month, but as good as Aaron has become, we all along thought at some point well have to manage his workload. Thats what this is about. Hell come right back in the rotation.Sanchez has struck out 132, and opponents are battingg .dddddddddddd230 against him. Left-hander Aaron Loup was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo and will pitch out of the bullpen.Sanchez pitched three hitless innings Saturday then allowed Cleveland to tie the score with a five-run fourth and was pulled.Making this move was something we tried to stay away from, talking about innings being a concern, Sanchez said. I still have to get ready. Its not like my seasons over. Its normal work when I go down there. Nothing changes for me.The last few starts have been on seven or eight days [rest], he added. As a pitcher theres adjustments you have to make. 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