While Toronto Raptors player Kyle Lowry may seem like a Torontonian to all those who've watched him play for this city since 2012, his Philadelphia roots are what led him to march in the Black Lives Matter protest that took place there yesterday. 

Lowry was born and raised in North Philadelphia. He learned to play basketball in the city, and he played point guard for his high school's varsity team there back in the early 2000s. 

He also went to college and played basketball for nearby Villanova University.

Yesterday, Philly held one of the largest anti-Black racist protests in the country, and Lowry returned to his hometown to participate. 

One of my favorite shots I saw from today (plucked from @tobias31 on IG): Harris and Thybulle walking the streets with Philly native Kyle Lowry pic.twitter.com/hiKn2rqOIF

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) June 7, 2020

Wearing a mask and shirt that said "I can't breathe," Lowry marched alongside fellow NBA players Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Elton Brand of the Philadelphia 76ers. 

I know Kyle Lowry is technically from Philly, but tbh we see him as one of ours. #HomeIsToronto @Raptors https://t.co/jsBQwqgMVf

— Zonkey (@3gerkid) June 7, 2020

But while the athletes usually play for opposing teams, they were certainly all on one side yesterday. 

"Doesn’t matter the team or sport WE fighting together!!! BLack lives Matter!!!" wrote Lowry on Instagram alongside photos from the protest. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kyle Lowry (@kyle_lowry7) on Jun 6, 2020 at 5:51pm PDT

Meanwhile, aerial footage from the demonstration shows an enormous crowd marching through the streets and sidewalks and around the steps of the Art Museum.

My Heart❤️💕✊🏽😢💝🙌🏽 This is So Amazing💝 Aerial footage shows magnitude of Black Lives Matter protest in Philadelphia https://t.co/POkyVanpYJ

— Tiara Moton (@TIARA_MOTON) June 7, 2020

Activists then moved across the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to city hall, and photos posted online show a significantly larger crowd than the one at Donald Trump's inauguration in 2016. 

Philadelphia protest today on the left.
Trump inauguration on the right. pic.twitter.com/B09vGWmvUi

— Steven Beschloss (@StevenBeschloss) June 6, 2020

Two individuals even tied the knot in the midst of the massive demonstration, adding to the already powerful sense of energy and unity present at the event. 

The authorities keep parroting that they are trying to protect "the citizens" from the protesters. They can't yet admit that the protesters *are* the citizens.

RT @AdamParkhomenko: A marriage took place just now at a protest in Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/R74SiRweHc

— Ginger bear. 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️ Black lives matter. (@archerba) June 7, 2020

And though National Guard troops and police officers were present at the scene wearing full riot gear and equipped with guns and other threatening-looking equipment, the protest remained overwhelmingly peaceful as activists marched and chanted for racial equality and justice south of the border.