Tag: Kevon Looney

Watch: Highlights of Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney in China

The Golden State Warriors have released highlights of Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney’s trip to China on their YouTube channel.

Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney spent some of their offseason touring China. During their trip, we were treated to multiple droplets of content, showing the two Golden State Warriors stars enjoying their time abroad. We even saw photographs of Thompson playing chess against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao while touring the Philippines on the second part of their trip.

On Sunday, Oct. 22, the Warriors released a YouTube video sharing the best highlights from Thompson and Looney’s trip. The video begins with the pair jetting to China, followed by some of their best moments throughout the trip.

Thompson and Looney both had a solid preseason. So, it’s clear there wasn’t any hangover from their time overseas. Now, the Warriors hope their core rotation is well-rested as they gear up to face the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 24. 

You can watch the full highlights of Thompson and Looney abroad in the embedded video above.

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Former NBA champion sings Kevon Looney’s praises

The seven-time NBA champion believes Kevon Looney is the Golden State Warriors unsung hero.

Kevon Looney is entering his ninth season with the Golden State Warriors. Since being drafted with the 30th pick in 2015, Looney has developed into an integral member of the Warriors rotation and is often seen as an “unsung hero” for the franchise.

Despite his lack of size, Looney consistently provides the Warriors with a physical paint presence and often dominates on the glass.

When speaking on a recent episode of his “Big Shot Bob” podcast, seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry shared his thoughts on the Warriors big man. Horry believes that Looney is often overlooked when discussing the talent on Golden State’s roster.

“I love Looney. He does not get enough credit for what he does for that team as far as second-chance points and stuff like that,” Horry said. “Everybody looks at the Splash Brothers and Draymond Green, but without Looney, they ain’t going nowhere.”

With the Warriors lacking genuine size in the middle of the floor, Looney will be expected to shoulder a heavy load this season. However, the veteran center has proven capable of building his game around whatever head coach Steve Kerr needs from him.

You can watch the full episode of Horry’s “Big Shot Bob” podcast in the embed above.

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Kings head coach credits Kevon Looney for Game 7 win

The Sacramento Kings head coach believes Kevon Looney is the reason his team lost in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Mike Brown is incredibly familiar with the Golden State Warriors. The Sacramento Kings head coach spent six years with the Warriors before assuming his role as the head coach for Sacramento. It was fitting that Brown’s Kings team faced the Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Sacramento ended a 16-year postseason drought with its appearance, having vastly improved under Brown’s tutelage. Nevertheless, the Warriors ended up taking the series in seven games. Steph Curry dropped 50 points on his former assistants’ new team during that final game. Yet, for Brown, who was speaking with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina as part of an exclusive interview, Kevon Looney had the game-winning performance.

“I’ve been a part of many NBA championships with Steph knowing that everybody is game planning to stop him,” Brown said. “He still goes and gets his. Where we lost that series is the rebounding department. Kevon Looney has a heck of a series. In that Game 7, if we could’ve controlled the boards, even with Steph’s 50, I thought we would’ve had a much better chance of winning the game.”

Looney’s ability to play bigger than his size on the glass has been a key factor in his becoming a consistent contributor under Kerr. The 6-foot-9′ big man has had countless dominant rebounding performances, and his 18-board Game 7 performance was another example of how he can change the flow of a game.

Golden State lacks size heading into the new season. As such, Looney will likely be expected to play another big role for the team he’s spent his entire career with. Especially if the Warriors aim to have another championship banner.

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Chris Paul implied that he may not mind coming off the bench for the Warriors after all

Chris Paul has played over 1,200 consecutive games in the starting lineup.

Chris Paul has never come off the bench during his professional career.

He has played 1,214 regular season games during his time in the NBA, appearing in the first unit during each. No other active player has played more than 800 games without coming off the bench, per Stathead.

That could change this season, however, after he was traded to the Warriors in a move involving Jordan Poole. But when he was originally asked his thoughts about coming off the bench shortly after the trade, he seemed less than enthusiastic about the idea.

CP3 said that is a question he wouldn’t worry about until training camp.

Now, after allowing some time to process the proposal, it seems his tone has changed (via The Athletic):

“For me, I actually got the opportunity in ‘08 to come off the bench for the Olympic team. That went pretty well. Anybody that knows me knows I’m all about winning. Whatever I can do to help our team win. […] We’ve been hooping all summer and I think for the season, it’s going to be whatever to help the team win. I’ve tried to show and prove that my entire career.”

Golden State had the best five-man lineup in the league with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney last season.

Paul could provide a stabilizing force and a change of pace in the second unit during the minutes when Curry is not on the court.

Green, however, will miss the start of the season and is out between four to six weeks due to an ankle sprain. As such, CP3 is likely to start the season in the first unit alongside Curry, Thompson, Wiggins and Looney until Green is able to return.

But once Green is healthy, if they keep CP3 in the first five, Looney is likely the most obvious candidate to move into the second unit as Golden State may opt to play small ball.

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Kevon Looney reveals excitement at working with Chris Paul

During a recent interview, Kevon Looney discussed how he will adapt to playing alongside Chris Paul in the upcoming season.

Chris Paul is the Golden State Warriors marquee addition this summer. The veteran point guard will provide his new team with exceptional depth at the guard position and could be the catalyst Golden State needs to win a fifth championship.

Paul also joins the Warriors with a reputation for improving whatever team he’s on, which will be interesting considering Golden State’s dominance throughout the “Big Three” era.

During a recent interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Kevon Looney discussed the adjustments he must make to get the best out of Paul this  season. Looney revealed how he’s trying to learn Paul’s tendencies, such as where he likes screens and when to roll or when to seal.

“He’s a different type of point guard than I’m used to playing with, so we’re getting on the same page with knowing when he wants to roll and knowing when he wants to be aggressive and knowing where he wants to get the shots at,” Looney said. “It’s been a little different. But it’s been easy. He’s one of the smartest players in the league. I know he’s going to give me a lot of easy layups (laughs).”

Looney has been with the Warriors since 2015, winning two championships. The veteran big man knows what it takes to be an elite role player on a contending team and should slot in seamlessly alongside Paul when the two are on the court together.

However, with training camp yet to start, we’re still no clearer on what Paul’s role will be, which could directly impact how much time he spends on the court with Looney. This summer head coach Steve Kerr told the media that he would make a decision on Paul once training camp was underway.

Still, the most logical outcome is for Paul to operate as the Warriors’ sixth man, giving them one of the most fearsome second units in the NBA.

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Ranking the Top 10 big men for Team USA if Joel Embiid declines invitation to Paris Olympics in 2024

Anthony Davis is the top option but there are some interesting sleepers, too.

After shockingly failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA has lots of questions to answer before the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

One of the reasons why Team USA struggled to even earn a bronze medal was due to a lack of size in the frontcourt. They struggled on the defensive end of the floor and had a massive deficiency when it came to rebounding the ball.

This is a team that will need legitimate big men in order to compete with tough international talent in the post such as Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as well as France’s Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was asked about what changes may come before the Olympics and he mentioned that the team needed to have very specific intentions when it came to the types of big men they would target for the roster (via The Athletic):

“I think it’s a worthwhile point of discussion, but the discussion has to go to, ‘OK, then who is that?” […] “You can’t just say, we’re going to have size for size’s sake. You have to have players who are going to help you win, and you have to determine who those guys are. It’s not just the size, it’s the way the game is played. […] But I don’t think it’s as simple as saying it’s just size. I think you have to examine who you’re talking about if you go down that path.”

Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. He could join the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped lead Team USA to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

The six-time All-Star is an international free agent who is eligible to play for Team Cameroon (after they clinched a spot to compete in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament) as well as Team France and Team USA.

Team USA managing director Grant Hill said Embiid “knows our desire” to have him on the team. According to Brian Windhorst, however, it’s too early to assume that the league’s reigning MVP will decide to actually suit up for the Americans at the 2024 Olympics in Paris (via ESPN):

“Team USA has done some recruiting of Joel Embiid, who holds both United States and French citizenship, but the Philadelphia 76ers star has thus far been noncommittal.”

So if Team USA is not able to successfully recruit Embiid, here are the other top options that they could consider:

Russell Westbrook issues strong praise for two-time Warriors champion

Russell Westbrook had some high praise for Kevon Looney during a recent event.

This summer, Golden State Warriors big man Kevon Looney attended a private run held by Rico Hines. Multiple NBA stars attended the run, including former MVP Russell Westbrook. After the scrimmage, some of the NBA stars provided the younger talent with words of wisdom.

Westbrook was vocal, imploring players to develop their game based on team needs. However, when Looney was about to speak, the gym became loud. Westbrook put everybody on notice, letting them know Looney had been in the NBA for a long time, and not due to his athleticism.

“He’s been in the league a long time for a reason. Not because he’s super athletic, and all this crazy trick ***. He do his job, man. He do his job every night. He’ll tell you, he knows.”

Looney is about to enter his ninth season with the Warriors. The veteran big man has been an important member of his team’s rotation throughout his career and has become the full-time starting big in recent seasons.

You can watch the full video of Hines’ private run in the embedded clip above, with Westbrook’s comments occurring around the 25-minute mark.

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Warriors’ Kevon Looney throws out first pitch in Milwaukee before Brewers vs. Rockies

Kevon Looney was on the bump for the ceremonial first pitch in Milwaukee before the Brewers hosted the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

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Shortly after rookie Brandin Podziemski threw out the first pitch at Oracle Park in San Francisco for a Giants game, another member of the Golden State Warriors was on a major league pitching mound.

On Thursday, Kevon Looney toed the rubber before the Milwaukee Brewers hosted the Colorado Rockies at American Family Field in Wisconsin. The Warriors center was on the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for his hometown baseball team.

Via @Brewers on Twitter:

Via @BallySportWI on Twitter:

Looney was born in Milwaukee and played high school basketball for Alexander Hamilton High in Milwaukee. He was named Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball following his senior season at Alexander Hamilton.

With Looney in attendance, the NL Central-leading Brewers secured a victory in walk-off fashion. With the game knotted at six in the 10th inning. recent Brewers trade acquisition Mark Canha scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th on a throwing error from the Rockies. Ezequiel Tovar couldn’t finish the throw on a ground ball from Andruw Monasterio as Canha scurried home for the Brewers’ win, 7-6.

Via @Brewers on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Warriors’ Kevon Looney dealing with illness before Game 2 vs. Lakers

JaMychal Green was added to the starting lineup in Game 2 against the Lakers as veteran center Kevon Looney deals with an illness.

Trailing 0-1 in the second-round series, the Golden State Warriors will be without a key piece in the starting lineup to open Game 2 on Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center. 

After impressing on the glass throughout the postseason, Kevon Looney will come off the bench in Game 2. The veteran center is dealing with an illness and will be available for Game 2, but he won’t start against the Lakers on Thursday. 

Veteran forward JaMychal Green is set to start in the frontcourt alongside Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry in Game 2. 

Via @anthonyVslater on Twitter: 

 

Throughout the playoffs, Looney has recorded four different games with 20 or more rebounds, including Game 2 against the Lakers. Looney is averaging 7.3 points on 61.5% shooting from the field to go along with 16.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. 

The Warriors will host the Lakers for Game 2 on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT at San Francisco’s Chase Center. 

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Warriors’ JaMychal Green set to start in place of Kevon Looney in Game 2 vs. Lakers

The Warriors will start veteran JaMychal Green in Game 2 against the Lakers with Kevon Looney dealing with an illness.

The Golden State Warriors’ starting lineup will look different in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night at San Francisco’s Chase Center. 

Instead of playoff standout Kevon Looney leading the frontcourt from the opening tip, JaMychal Green will slide into the starting lineup on Thursday night. While he won’t start due to an illness, he’s still expected to play in Game 2 against the Lakers. 

Via @ChristBHaynes on Twitter: 

Via @ThompsonScribe on Twitter: 

Looney is coming off another 20-rebound performance in Game 1 against the Lakers on Tuesday. Looney has had 20 or more rebounds in four different games during the Warriors’ current playoff run. Looney has notched double-figure rebounding efforts in six consecutive games. 

During the 2023 postseason, Green has played in four games, averaging 1.5 points on 28.6% shooting from the field in 5.6 minutes per contest. Green has only started one other game during the 2022-23 regular season. 

The Warriors and Lakers will tip off Game 2 at 6 p.m. PT on Thursday night in San Francisco. 

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!