Jersey retirement unlikely: Raptors hand out Kawhi Leonard's No. 2 once again

New Toronto Raptors free agent signing Jalen McDaniels will likely see plenty of fans around the city wearing his jersey number when he suits up for the team next fall.

Except, he’ll probably see the last name “Leonard” adorned on upwards of 99% of those jerseys.

Introduced to the media after officially signing a two-year deal with the team today, McDaniels will be sporting the No. 2 jersey on the court for the Raptors next season.

Of course, McDaniels’ jersey number was most famously worn in Toronto by 2018-19 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who spent just one season in the city before leaving for the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency the following year.

McDaniels becomes the second Raptor to wear No. 2 following Leonard’s departure, with another Jalen — current Scarborough Shooting Stars guard Jalen Harris — wearing the number for 13 games with the team in 2020-21, before a year-long suspension ultimately ended his time with the Raptors.

Fans have long grappled with the idea of how to properly honour Leonard’s place in franchise history, with the one-and-done season mostly remembered fondly these days, though there will always be the lingering “what-if?” attached to his career had he chosen to re-sign in Toronto.

Thoughts of erecting a Leonard statue or another permanent landmark in the city seemed left to unofficial murals and tributes, and offering the number to multiple players makes it appear that it’s not likely to enter the rafters anytime soon.

The Raptors have never retired a jersey number in franchise history, though team president Masai Ujiri has said on record he plans for Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 to be the first one to graze the rafters. No Raptor has touched No. 10 since DeMar DeRozan left — as part of the package for Leonard — back in 2018, leaving the possibility open that he could one day join his longtime friend Lowry as one of the team’s retired numbers.

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