Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
In preparation for his 10th season playing for the Golden State Warriors, Kevon Looney shot 3-pointers at UCLA.
Lots and lots and lots of them.
“Probably 400, 500 every day,” Looney said at Golden State’s preseason media day, once a wiggly Milwaukee wing before becoming the bruising Bay Area big man, an NBA champion three times over. Battling centers under the basket for rebounds, situationally switching onto guards and wings and screening for the NBA’s greatest shooters are foundational parts of Looney’s skill set.
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His 3-point accuracy is a latent part.
Or so it was for four-plus years.
A 41.5% shooter from deep during his only season at UCLA, Looney hadn’t made a triple since March 19, 2021 — sheathing his jumper until the fourth quarter of a 148-106 late-March win over the San Antonio Spurs. Looney spaced to the strongside corner and caught a pass by his hip, flipping the basketball into the basket.
Looney’s teammates on the bench behind him jumped in genuine jubilation, their pure joy unfurled from his shooting pocket. As he sauntered back to defend against the Spurs, a smile spread across his face.
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“Just felt like time for him to get one off in a game,” head coach Steve Kerr said, explaining his play-call a few days later. “Loon is everybody’s favorite guy. He’s been here 10 years. He’s just the ultimate pro.”
The Warriors are losing their situationally shooting, relentlessly rebounding, sturdy screening, low-post lockdown defending big man to the New Orleans Pelicans as an unrestricted free agent. He’s signing a two-year, $16-million contract when the NBA’s transaction moratorium lifts, his agent, Todd Ramasar of Life Sports Agency, confirmed to the Chronicle on Monday (when free agents were first permitted to negotiate with other clubs).
They’re also losing a longtime leader, a sensei on their sideline and conveyor of their culture — as proficient in professionalism as he was with the nuance of their read-and-react offense.
“Legend,” one longtime Warriors staffer said via text message.
The 30th pick in the 2015 draft after a year at UCLA, Looney was tabbed Golden State’s first-round selection sans a pre-draft workout or visit with the Warriors. He powered through a series of hip injuries and adjusted his output accordingly, transitioning from a fleet-footed power forward into sturdy, connective center.
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He emerged for the Warriors in the 2018 postseason championship run as a versatile, switchable two-way cog, remaining a reliable part of their rotation the ensuing seven seasons. The Warriors declined to exercise the fourth year on his rookie contract, but he thrice re-signed and made a home in the Bay.
“Every offseason, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Looney told the Chronicle before the postseason. “Every time, I’m like ‘Man, this might be last time here.’ I always packed up everything, but I kept ending up being back.”
In 599 games for Golden State, including a streak of 290 consecutive, Looney averaged 5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.5 blocks. In 89 playoff games, highlighted also by prominent roles in 2022 and 2023, he averaged 5.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.4 blocks.
He’s one of five active players who have won three or more championships, along with former Warriors teammates Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
“It’s super cool to be with one franchise, not just to be here, (but) be here and actually experience all the things and be a contributor to winning and having my name on banners and being a part of championship teams and playing with guys and being a part of moments that’s going to live on through NBA history,” he said.
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“I got drafted as basically a kid, to become a grown man — my family’s been here to experience that. And to grow up in one city, to grow up in the Bay, to have them embrace me the way the have, it’s been awesome. It’s been amazing. Something that you dream about it.”
Looney wanted to remain with the Warriors, who opened free agency with six vacancies to their standard roster and $170.5 million in 2025-26 salary commitments against a luxury tax line of $187.8 million and restrictive (for roster building) aprons of $195.9 million and $207.8 million, respectively. They reportedly have interest in Boston Celtics free agent center Al Horford as Jonathan Kuminga tests restricted free agency with the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat among reported suitors for the bouncy combo forward.
Contract agreements can be formalized July 6 when the moratorium ends.
As pragmatic as he is professional and proficient on the offensive and defensive glass, Looney, asked about finishing his career with Golden State said: “It definitely crosses my mind, but I take it one season at a time. … The NBA changes a lot, month by month.”
Looney rejoins former teammate (and fellow Milwaukee native) Jordan Poole in New Orleans. Poole posted to his Instagram story “Omg!!! It’s so lit” over a graphic summarizing Looney’s signing. As he joins the Pelicans, he leaves Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis as Golden State’s rostered centers as it pursues Horford among other potential free-agent pivots.
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An hour or so after Looney’s first triple in four-plus years, Moses Moody was still giddy with joy.
Looney will be dearly missed.
“That’s what Loon did back in the day. That’s the player that he was back in high school and college,” Moody said through a grin. “It’s been really cool for me to see somebody like him be able to get to the NBA and find a different role, change what he does and find his place. And that’s what he’s been able to do. And I respect him, and I respect that so much.”
