The Warriors slogged into San Antonio this week with four starters out of the lineup and won a game over the Spurs that surprised everyone. Kevon Looney was the only starter to trudge out for the opening tip, which surprised no one.
The victory came with an abundance of perseverance, which is why this is an appropriate time for a few words in appreciation of Looney.
The 6-foot-9 forward-turned-center is enduring nicely this season for a man who in his 25 years has gotten to know more surgical tables and scalpels than most folks not NFL alumni or in the medical profession.
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Yet game after game, night after night, Looney plods up and down the floor, banging and bumping, usually with bigger and sturdier players. He is the only member of the Warriors, starter or reserve, to appear in every game. He has started all 52. Only five other NBA players – Chris Paul and Mikel Bridges of the Suns, Russell Westbrook of the Lakers, Franz Wagner of the Magic and Saddiq Bey of the Pistons – can make the same claim.
Looney on Tuesday gave the Warriors his body and soul for 23 minutes, during which he scored 12 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, recorded three assists and set, unofficially, about 600 screens. That’s his job, to be his team’s slate-gray wheelbarrow.
“Loon just does his work every single day,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said shortly before tipoff against the Spurs. “He’s the ultimate pro. He understands his body. He understands what it takes to maintain his health and his conditioning, and he’s worked really hard to get to this point. He’s been through an awful lot in his career, as you well know, dealing with two hip surgeries and the neuropathy issue from a couple years ago.”
Ah, yes. The tour. After growing up in Milwaukee, where at Hamilton High he was a five-star recruit, Looney signed with UCLA, played one season and impressed the Warriors enough that they drafted him in the first round (30th overall) in 2015 knowing hip surgery was a possibility. It’s why he was red-flagged by several teams. Looney underwent surgery two months after the draft to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.
Golden State Warriors
Eight months later, in April 2016, after playing five midseason games as a rookie, Looney had the exact same surgery on his left hip and was able to play six months later. He missed 45 games in the 2019-20 season due by neuropathy, which in some cases can be managed but in others is stubborn enough to affect daily life. He underwent surgery two months after the season to repair a core muscle.
“I played (the 2019-20) season scared to move,” he said after surgery.
Looney has changed diets numerous times. Changed personal trainers. Altered his lifestyle. He never stopped believing he would have an enjoyable NBA career, but there were many long days and nights when his faith was tested.
That’s why, when Loon plowed through 61 of the team’s 72 regular-season games last season and came away without ill effects, his smile was wide enough to stretch across the bay. He said he felt better than he had in several years.
Considering Looney’s physical history, and the lengths he has gone to in hopes of overcoming the succession of challenges, there should be an award in his name.
“He’s just an amazing guy, one of my favorite players to coach just because of his daily professionalism and routine,” Kerr said. “He’s just automatic. You can count on him every day. Thrilled for him. He wants to play. He wants to play every night. And if he’s healthy, then he’s going to play every night. And it’s great that he’s able to do so.”
So, there he was out there Tuesday night, without Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson or Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins, setting a tone for the underdog. There were numerous San Antonio possessions in first half when Looney was the only Warrior physically committed to defense.
Looney is the only regular Warriors starter without an All-Star pedigree and won’t have an opportunity to play in the game or get an invitation to participate the events leading up to tipoff.
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He leads all NBA players in offensive rebounds over the last five weeks. At 25 years old (he turns 26 on Sunday), he is younger than he looks and much younger than he plays. He has gotten as far as he has with intellect, attention to detail and fortitude.
In a season when Golden State’s big-man depth is woefully thin, somewhat by design, it has burdened Loon with being the NBA’s most improbable iron man. He accepts it. The Warriors are better for his presence, and they know it.