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Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan's friendship has been blossoming as the two have spent the past four years as Toronto Raptors teammates, but 2016 has been a particularly memorable year that includes a number of firsts for the tandem.
They were All-Stars together for the first time, and in Toronto to boot. They led the Raptors to the conference finals for the first time. And now the two are together in Rio, representing the U.S. at the Olympics for the first time.
DeRozan turned 27 on Sunday, and Lowry - as he did when DeRozan re-upped with the most lucrative contract in franchise history - expressed his deep love and support for his teammate, describing what their friendship and joint journey has meant to him.
No amount of hashtags can dampen that beautiful sentiment.