The purpose of this assignment was to create a media kit for a press conference where an athlete would be announcing there retirement. The document includes the following: a press release announcing the athlete's retirement, a fact sheet of the athlete and biographies on the athlete and two other key speakers at the press conference.

1. Public and Media Relations Assignment 2 – Media Kit
Austin Lia
Humber College
Public and Media Relations – SPRT – 252 – 0NA
Sherry Doiron
Due April 2nd, 2019

2. 2
Table of Contents:
Introduction – Page 3
Media Advisory: Page 4
Press Release – Pages 5-6
Fact Sheet – Pages 7-8
Biographies – Pages 9-12
End Notes – Page 13

3. 3
Introduction:
The purpose of this assignment is to develop a media kit for a press conference where an athlete
will be announcing their retirement. This report will feature the following: a media advisory, a
press release announcing the player’s retirement, a fact sheet consisting of the athlete’s career
accomplishments as well as background information on the professional sport organization and
finally, biographies on both the athlete and two other key speakers at the press conference. For
this assignment, I have decided to represent the Toronto Raptors and the athlete who will be
announcing his retirement is Kyle Lowry.

4. 4
i
March 31st, 2019
Kyle Lowry Announcing Retirement at Press Conference Event
WHO:
 Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors’ Point Guard
 Masai Ujuri, President, Toronto Raptors
 DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs’ Shooting Guard
 Dwane Casey, Head Coach, Detroit Pistons
 Nick Nurse, Head Coach, Toronto Raptors
WHAT:
 Toronto Raptors’ all-star point guard Kyle Lowry will be announcing his retirement from
the game of basketball after fourteen seasons in the NBA.
WHERE:
 OVO Athletic Centre (30 British Columbia Rd, Toronto, Ontario M6K 3C3)ii
WHEN:
 Monday, April 1st, 2019 at 11:00 AM
NOTES:
 Photos will be allowed to be taken during the ceremony, however, we ask that reporters
and journalists refrain from asking questions until the end of the ceremony. A time-slot
will be allocated at the end of the presentation for questions.
Contact Information:
Austin Lia (Manager, Public Relations)
Toronto Raptors
austinlia@raptors.com
705-465-3317iii
Media Advisory

5. 5
Press Release:
Raptors’ Point Guard Kyle Lowry Announces Retirement
Kyle Lowry has announced his retirement today after 14 seasons in the National
Basketball Association (NBA)
TORONTO (March 31, 2019) Toronto Raptors’ all-star point guard Kyle Lowry has announced
that he will be retiring after 14 seasons in the NBA. A formal press conference will be held on
Monday, April 1st, 2019 at 11:00 AM through the Toronto Raptors’ organization to make the
announcement official.
Rumours have been swirling for weeks about the possibility of Lowry retiring after he injured his
back in a game against the Detroit Pistons on March 3rd. After colliding with Pistons’ forward
Blake Griffin late in the second half, Kyle Lowry had to be stretchered off the court. With a long
list of medical problems to his name, including former back injuriesiv, reports after the end of the
game suggested that Lowry had played his last game of professional basketball.
Lowry has remained optimistic in recent weeks about his ability to continue his career, stating to
the media on multiple occasions that “I am committed to getting my body back to 100% and
helping this team achieve our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to the city of Toronto.”
However, after Lowry failed a team required physical, doctors recommended retirement.
After struggling early in his career with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets, Lowry
became a vital piece of the Raptors’ organization over the past seven seasons. Throughout his
tenure with the Raptors, Lowry averaged 17.4 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds, while also
earning a trip to the All-Star game five times and being named to the All-NBA Third Team in
2016.
-##-

6. 6
About the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association
based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1995 by a group consisting of John Bitove,
David Peterson and Isiah Thomas, the team has won five division titles and made the playoffs
ten times. Currently, the Raptors are the only Canadian franchise in the NBA.v
For More Information/Media Availability Please Contact:
Austin Lia
Manager, Public Relations
Toronto Raptors
Office: 416-366-3865 X 619
Mobile: 705-465-3317
austinlia@raptors.com

7. 7
Fact Sheet:
Kyle Lowry:
 2004 Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year with Cardinal Dougherty High School
 Hailed as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, ranked as the 28th best recruit amongst all
players in the United States (2004)
 During his freshman season at Villanova University, Lowry was named to the Big East
All-Rookie team (2004)
 Also, during his freshman season Lowry was named Philadelphia Big Five Rookie of the
Year (2004)
 Named to the All Big East Second Team and All-Big Five First Team during his
sophomore season (2005)
 Drafted twenty-fourth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2006 NBA Draft
 Six-time NBA Player of the Week (March 14-20, 2011, January 27-February 2, 2014,
December 1-7, 2014, February 22-28, 2016, March 14-20, 2016)
 Holds the Toronto Raptors’ record for triple-doubles (9)
 Toronto Raptors’ leader in three-point field goals made in a season (190)
 Ranks fourth on the Raptors’ all-time points list, sixth on the all-time rebounding list,
second on the all-time assists list, fifth on the all-time games played list and third on the
all-time minutes played listvi
 Two-time NBA Player of the Month (December 2014, January 2016)
 Five-time NBA All-Star (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
 One time All-NBA Third Team member (2016)
 One time Olympic gold medalist (2016)
 One time George Gross Sportsman of the Year award recipient (2014)vii
 Career averages of 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per gameviii
Toronto Raptors:
 Founded in 1995 by John Bitove, David Peterson and Isiah Thomas
 Only Canadian NBA franchise currently in existence
 Five-time Atlantic Division Champions (2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018)
 One time Eastern Conference Regular Season Champions (2018)

8. 8
 Currently owned by MLSE
 Four former Raptors have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of
Fame (Lenny Wilkins, Wayne R. Embry, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tracy McGrady)
 Six Raptors’ players have been selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game (Vince Carter,
Antonio Davis, Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard)
 Main rivals include the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets
 NBA G League team (Raptors 905), located in Mississauga, Ontario

9. 9
Biographies:
Kyle Lowry:
Kyle Lowry was born on March 25th, 1986, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lonnie Lowry Sr.
and Marie Holloway and has a brother named Lonnie Jr. who is five years older than Kyle.
Lonnie Jr. served as a male role model for Kyle growing up and encouraged him to play
basketball. Throughout high school, Kyle became one of the top point guards in the state of
Pennsylvania, earning the State Player of the Year in his senior season, and was rated as a five-
star recruit.
Upon graduating high school, Kyle decided to play basketball at Villanova University. There
Kyle was named to the Big East All-Rookie team and was named the Philadelphia Big Five
Rookie of the Year. Kyle continued his successful college career in his sophomore season where
he was named to the All Big East Second Team and the All-Big Five First Team.
After completing his sophomore season Kyle decided to declare for the 2006 NBA draft and was
selected twenty-fourth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. In his three seasons with the Grizzlies,
Kyle was a key contributor off of bench. However, half way through the 2008-09 NBA season,
Kyle was traded to the Houston Rockets. Kyle spent four seasons with the Rockets’ organization
and was a starter for his last two seasons with the team. After the 2012 NBA season, Kyle was
traded to the Toronto Raptors.
It was in Toronto where Kyle’s career would finally take off. After almost being traded to the
New York Knicks in the 2013-14 NBA season, after the Raptors had underachieved for the first
part of the season, Kyle and teammate DeMar DeRozan came together to take leadership of the
team. After starting the year 6-12, the Raptors would finish the season with a record of 48-34 and
made the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. This would mark the beginning of
a resurgence for the Raptors’ organization. After the 2013-14 NBA season, the Raptors would
qualify for the post-season six straight times. During this period, Kyle would end up playing the
best basketball of his career. Kyle was named an NBA All-Star five times, made one All-NBA
team and won an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Gamesix.

10. 10
DeMarDeRozan:
DeMar DeRozan was born on August 7th, 1989 in Compton, Calfornia to Frank and Diane
DeRozan. DeMar went to Compton High School and by the ninth grade, it was clear that he had
the potential to be an NBA star. In grade nine, DeMar averaged twenty-six points per game and
helped lead his school to their first playoff berth. During his senior season, DeMar was ranked
among the top college recruits for the class of 2008. He led his school to the Moore League
Championship and was named the Moore League MVP. Also, during his senior season, he was
named a McDonald’s All-American and was named a part of the First Team Best in the West.
Upon graduating high school, DeMar received numerous offers to play collegiate basketball. He
ended up choosing to play for the University of Southern California over other prominent
basketball colleges such as the University of Arizona and the University of North Carolina. In his
lone season at USC, DeMar would lead the Trojans to a PAC-10 title, was named to the First
Team PAC-10 All-Freshman team and was also named the PAC-10 Tournament MVP. USC
qualified for the NCAA March Madness Tournament during DeMar’s lone season at the school
but ended up losing in the second round of the tournament.
After his freshman season at USC, DeMar decided to declare for the 2009 NBA draft. He was
selected with the 9th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors. In his first season with the Raptors
DeMar started in most games but was viewed as a third or fourth scoring option because the
Raptors were still running their offense through franchise player Chris Bosh. Bosh left after the
2010 NBA season and DeMar was given more responsibility on the offensive end of the floor.
DeMar was selected to participate in the 2010 and 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk competitions as
well as the 2011 Rising Stars game. DeMar’s first four seasons in Toronto were lackluster in
terms of team success. However, after star player Rudy Gay was traded after a 6-12 start to the
2013-14 season, DeRozan, along with teammate Kyle Lowry, led the Raptors to a 48-34 season
and qualified for the playoffs. This would lead to the greatest six-year stretch in Raptors’ history.
DeMar was named an NBA All-Star four times and named to two All-NBA teams. DeMar would
also win an Olympic gold medal with teammate Kyle Lowry at the 2016 Olympic Games.

11. 11
In the 2018 off-season, DeMar was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. There DeMar was paired
with big man LaMarcus Aldridge to form one of the best mid-range shooting duos in the NBA.
Under the tutelage of legendary coach Gregg Popovich, DeMar would make significant strides
on the defensive end of the court during the 2018-19 NBA seasonx.
Dwane Casey:
Dwane Casey was born on April 17th, 1957 in Indianapolis, Indiana and was raised by his
grandparents Urey and Elizabeth Miller. Dwane attended Union County High School and
graduated in 1975. Considered a top basketball recruit upon graduating, he would play basketball
at the University of Kentucky where he led the Wildcats to a 1978 NCAA championship. During
his senior season in 1979, Dwane received an All-Academic award and graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.
Upon graduating from Kentucky, Dwane took a job to be an assistant coach for his former team.
After one year of being an assistant with Kentucky, Dwane received an offer to be the head
coach at Western Kentucky. After five years of coaching at Western Kentucky, Casey would
return to the University of Kentucky to take on the role of lead assistant coach and top recruiter.
After another three years with the Wildcats’ basketball program, Casey would resign in 1988 and
accept a head coaching job in the Japanese Basketball League. During his time in Japan, Dwane
would coach the Sekisui Chemical and Isuzu Motors Lynx while also offering a helping hand to
the Japanese national team during the summers.
After receiving an offer to become an assistant coach for the Seattle Supersonics in 1994, Dwane
decided to leave the Japanese Basketball League. Throughout his tenure with the Supersonics the
team won four division titles. Dwane got his first head coaching job in the NBA with the
Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2005-06 NBA season. However, his time as head coach
would be short lived as he was replaced after a season and a half on the job, finishing with a
combined record of 53-69. From 2008 to 2011, Dwane served as an assistant coach for the Dallas
Mavericks. Dwane’s primary responsibility was to create defensive schemes for the team, which
eventually helped them win the 2011 NBA Championship.

12. 12
During the 2011 NBA offseason, Dwane was named the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
Although his first two seasons with the franchise were forgettable, the 2013-14 season would
mark the beginning of the franchise’s most successful era. During this timeframe, the Raptors
made the playoffs for six straight seasons with Dwane at the helm. Casey also earned his first
All-Star appearance in the 2017-18 NBA season as he was named head coach of the Eastern All-
Star team. Casey led the Raptors to a 59-23 record during the 2017-18 season, the best record in
franchise history and as a result, he was named the 2018 NBA Coach of the Year. However, after
continued struggles in the playoffs, the Raptors decided to part ways with Dwane in the 2018
off-season.
A month after parting ways with the Raptors, Dwane agreed to a five-year deal to coach the
Detroit Pistons. Led by All-Star Blake Griffin and big man Andre Drummond, Dwane
implemented a new offensive strategy for the Pistons in the 2018-19 NBA season that focused on
getting the ball to either Griffin or Drummond as often as possible. This in turn helped revive the
Pistons’ organization into a respectable team rather than a league laughing stock.xi

13. 13
i Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Raptors#/media/File:Toronto_Raptors_logo.svg
ii Wolstat, Ryan. (2019). Raptors Training Facility Renamed OVO Athletic Centre for Drake.
Retrieved from https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/raptors-training-
facility-renamed-ovo-athletic-centre-for-drake
iii Doiron, Sherry. (2019). Public and Media Relations in Sport [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved
from
https://learn.humber.ca/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_124443
_1&content_id=_6858273_1
iv Wells, Adam. (2019). Kyle Lowry Underwent Injections on Back Injury, No Timetable for
Return. Retrieved from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2812613-kyle-lowry-underwent-
injections-on-back-injury-no-timetable-for-return
v Francis, Adam. (2018). Toronto Raptors. Retrieved from
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-raptors
vi Hispanos Basketball. (n.d). Toronto Raptors All-time Stats Leaders. Retrieved from
https://en.hispanosnba.com/nba/history/teams/toronto-raptors/all-time-leaders
vii Simmons, Steve. (2014). Raptors Point Guard Kyle Lowry Wins George Gross Sportsman of
the Year Award. Retrieved from https://torontosun.com/2014/12/25/raptors-point-guard-kyle-
lowry-wins-george-gross-sportsman-of-the-year-award/wcm/4f731774-bdc4-4be6-b06c-
af636ea1fbe2
viii Basketball Reference. (n.d). Kyle Lowry. Retrieved from https://www.basketball-
reference.com/players/l/lowryky01.html
ix The Famous People. (n.d). Kyle Lowry Biography. Retrieved from
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/kyle-lowry-42733.php
x The Famous People. (n.d). DeMar DeRozan Biography. Retrieved from
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/demar-derozan-41817.php
xi Heightline. (2019). Dwane Casey Wife, Family, Net Worth, Height, Bio, Coaching Career.
Retrieved from https://heightline.com/dwane-casey-family-net-worth-coaching/