Kevon Looney experienced a lot during his 10-year Warriors career, but one memory, in particular, will stick with him the rest of his life.
The longtime Golden State center, who reportedly agreed to sign a two-year, $16 million free-agent contact with the New Orleans Pelicans, penned a heartwarming letter to the Warriors and Dub Nation in a Players’ Tribune article posted on Sunday.
In his letter, Looney discussed his role during the Warriors’ 2022 NBA championship run and why he is most proud of his accomplishments that season.
“On the court, though, when it’s all said and done, I’m pretty sure that 2022 title run will be the season I’ll remember the most from my NBA career,” Looney wrote. “Playing all 82 games. No nights off. Eighty starts. And now I’m doing it as one of the guys we really depended on.
“Most people … I’m pretty sure what they’re gonna remember about me from that playoff run is all the rebounds. Game 6 in Memphis, 22 boards or whatever. Another 18 to close out the [Mavericks] in the conference finals. Just keeping plays alive whenever I could. Scrapping and grinding to get us an extra shot every possession. That’s probably my legacy from 2022.”
In Golden State’s Western Conference finals series against Dallas that year, Looney averaged 10.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on 70.6-percent shooting from the field in five games, including a monstrous 21-point, 12-rebound performance in the Warriors’ 126-117 Game 2 win over the Mavericks.
Looney’s performance was so electrifying, that he even received “MVP” chants from the Chase Center crowd, which he recalled fondly in his Players’ Tribune article:
But, I’m not gonna lie, you know what I’ll remember most?
Game 2 against Dallas, at home in Chase Center. Third quarter. I’m at the line shooting free throws, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, down from the rafters, here it comes….
As that’s happening, no lie, I’m basically like … I’m confused.
I’d heard MVP chants from crowds a ton over the years. For Steph [Curry], or Klay [Thompson], or [Kevin Durant], for a lot of different players. I’ve always had real MVP-type guys on my team. So I knew what I was hearing immediately. But I didn’t understand why the crowd was yelling it.
In my head I’m like: Is Steph about to check into the game? What’s going on? I definitely didn’t think it was for me. Like, seriously, that’s the kind of thing I dreamed of as a kid. It couldn’t be for me. But….
It was!
And when I realized it? I mean … that was an incredible moment right there. I’d gotten LOOOOOON chants before, which I absolutely loved. But MVP? For me? Come on now.
That’s a moment I’ll never forget as long as I live.
Thank God I sank the free throw, right?
Curry ultimately won Western Conference finals MVP that year. Because, of course. However, there certainly was an argument to be made that Looney was, at least, one of the three most-deserving players in that series.
He would have to settle for just another championship ring. His third with the Warriors.
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