Kevon Looney recently joined the Dubs Talk podcast and was asked which of his Warriors teammates is the most underrated dunker. His answer surprised host Grant Liffmann.
SAN FRANCISCO – Even now, as he shrugs off routine soreness as well as occasional numbness in his extremities to be the only member of the Warriors to play every game this season, Kevon Looney is fervently committed to his fondest physical wish.
The Warriors center arrived in training camp last September with one individual goal running parallel to his usual list of team-oriented goals.
Play every game.
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“Definitely,” Looney says. “That was the biggest goal.”
It’s the final season of his contract. And, at age 26, Looney wants to prove he’s more durable than anybody has a right to expect.
He’s three games away from the achievement. Insofar as the regular season closes with three games in four nights -- against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, at San Antonio on Saturday and at New Orleans on Sunday -- it’s reasonable to suggest he could benefit from a night off before the playoffs begin next week.
Coach Steve Kerr won’t even consider taking away something that matters so much to Looney.
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“He wants to play 82 [games],” Kerr says. “He’s going to play 82.
“Playing 82 is a badge of honor. Considering where Loon has been in his career, missing the first two years of his career with hip surgeries, and then the nerve issue a couple seasons ago, this is a huge accomplishment and he deserves to feel the pride that comes with it."
Looney was the first player the Warriors drafted after Kerr took over as coach in 2014. Kerr’s decision and support are a matter of respect for one of his favorites. He understands the magnitude of Looney’s goal, because he’s acquainted with the travails of his past -- and the challenges of the present.
The first surgery, to repair a torn labrum in his right hip, took place in August 2015, less than two months after he was drafted. Looney missed 77 games as a rookie. The second surgery, to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, came eight months later, in April 2016. Looney missed 29 games in his second season and 16 in his third season.
Year Four brought a breakthrough, as Looney missed only two games.
Year Five brought a breakdown. Looney played in only 20 of the team’s 65 games in the pandemic-shortened season, afflicted by abdominal soreness, left hip soreness and, perhaps most ominous, a diagnosis of neuropathy, a nerve condition for which there is no cure.
Always something. The body kept taking blows. Kerr conceded he was “concerned” about Looney’s future. Looney’s childhood friends in Milwaukee were worried that his career could end before he turned 25.
“That never really crossed my mind,” Looney says. “It’s kind of crazy that when I talked to people, even some of my closest friends, they were saying, ‘I thought it was over,’ or ‘I thought you wouldn’t be able to get through that.'
“I always thought I could. I never really questioned it. I always felt I’d be able to figure it out. I always felt God had a plan for me. I didn’t really get nervous or scared. I got frustrated. I got sad. But I wasn’t fearful.”
Looney missed 11 games last season, though none of the absences was related to his hips or neuropathy. He has learned to accept and live with the body he has.
“I know how to manage it,” Looney says of the neuropathy, which has resulted in lifestyle changes. “I know the pain that I’m feeling is not a threat of major injury. It’s just a pain you can deal with. I kind of know the different treatments for different areas, when I’m feeling a certain type of pain. I know how to manage it when it’s in my hands or in my legs. I know how to explain it to the training staff.
“If I do have a flareup, I take it as a flareup. It’s not the end of the world. It’s going to run its course. It might last a week, or it might last a few days.”
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The pain can come without warning, in most any part of the body. Yet Looney carries on, using his 6-foot-9, 240-pound body – a natural power forward’s physique – to engage the NBA’s real behemoths in the paint.
He’s having his best season, statistically. He’s averaging a career-high 7.3 rebounds per game -- 12.4 per 36 minutes, tied with Philadelphia 76ers MVP candidate Joel Embiid -- and shooting 56.9 percent while averaging only 4.5 attempts per game. For every shot he takes, Looney sets five or six screens, which every teammate, coach and executive appreciates.
They all know the path he has traveled to get this far.
“Incredible story of triumph,” Klay Thompson says. “Especially with the trials Kevon had to face so early as a teenager. Now for him to be where he is, three games away from leading the league in games played, incredible testament to his professionalism and work ethic. I’m so proud of him.”
Though Looney makes it clear that he wants to remain with the Warriors, he says he also understands “the business of basketball.” His future will be decided this summer.
For now, all he wants is another championship for the team and three more games for himself.