Raptors' Lowry talks summer weight loss: 'I want to be special'

Thanks in part to his hefty physique, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has built a career on an aggressive style of play.

Lowry's approach on both sides of the ball often conjures comparisons to a playground bully, and as such, the 29-year-old Philadelphia native has never been a pushover from a physical standpoint.

After an unceremonious ouster from the 2015 playoffs at the hands of the Washington Wizards, Lowry entered the summer with a new offseason goal - to re-shape his body in order to take his on-court production to the next level in 2015-16.

"It started during (last) season, and even before that," Lowry said to Jordan Zirm of Stack.com. "I was talking to my wife, and she said, 'You were always your best at your college weight.' The saying is, the older you get, the lighter you've got to be. I thought Ray Allen did a great job of that, and Chauncey Billups too.

"I’m getting to the point where I’m a little bit older. I’m still young, but I’m a little bit older, and I can pick and choose how I want my body to look and feel. It’s good to understand your body. I want to be special. At the end of the day it's all about me and how I feel and what I can provide for my team and my family."

Lowry isn't concerned about his slimmer figure hindering his ability to play the same brand of basketball he always has, though.

"I’m going to play the best basketball I can play," Lowry said. "I’ve always tried to be stronger than people and just a bigger bully. People are making a big deal out of something. I’ve always worked hard. This is just me changing up the way I do it, the way I dieted and the way I eat, the way I grind. I've always worked hard, it’s just now I’m smarter and older and I know how to work.

In 70 games last season, Lowry averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, being voted in by fans as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team in the process.