Eventually, two stressful events merged into a poetic moment.
Kevon Looney spent the last month managing a busy itinerary with both wedding planning and uncertainty about his NBA future. But when Looney married his fiancée on Saturday in Santa Barbara, Calif, the couple celebrated their union merely five days after he agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“It all worked out perfectly,” Looney told Fadeaway World. “Her whole family is based out here. So her family is super excited, and she’s super excited. Now that we’re officially married, we get to start our new chapter. We get to do it here. So that’s exciting.”
Looney also spoke in depth with Fadeaway World about joining the Lakers as well as linking up with Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. Looney dished on how his time playing with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will prepare him to play with Dončić and why he considers himself ‘an elite offensive rebounder.’ After playing only 21 games last season with the New Orleans Pelicans, Looney explained his limited season had more to do with the team’s young roster than with a left knee injury that he suffered in training camp. After growing up as a Lakers fan in Milwaukee and playing one season at UCLA (2014-15), Looney also shared some interesting perspectives about Lakers fans and the late Kobe Bryant.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.
How did this deal come to be?
Looney: “I knew I was going to be a free agent. I looked at the landscape of free agency and where there was an opportunity where I could play. A few teams called looking for a backup big. LA is a place that I come to all the time. I’m here a lot of the times. I got a lot of friends and family. So to have the opportunity to join the Lakers, I couldn’t turn that down.”
What do you think of the opportunity?
Looney: “It’s a big-time opportunity. It’s big time to play for another historic franchise. Lakers fans are amazing. I’ve been playing against them my whole career. I see how much they travel. They love their team, and they want their team to win. I’m super excited to be a part of that. Playing with great players is great. I’ll be able to play with Luka and Reaves, and everybody else. I’m super excited.”
What do you think Luka and Austin can do for your game, and vice versa?
Looney: “They have so much gravity. Luka is one of the best passers in the league. He can create so many opportunities for me as a pick-and-roll player. Being able to play at a high stage and play winning basketball again is amazing. Playing with Luka, it’s going to be super cool to see him do his thing. For me, I can bring some toughness to the team, physicality and offensive rebounding. As a screener, I can get guys like Luka and Austin open. I’m looking forward to that. I know if I can get those guys open, they can also get me a lot of layups and dunks (laughs). I’m super excited about all of that. I’m trying to watch more film and more of the games so I know how to implement myself.”
What is the key to be able to get Luka and Austin open looks with your screens?
Looney: “For Austin, I can set the screens on the ball and off the ball for him. On the pick-and-roll, I can get the angles for them. They’re both scoring guards. So I can hold my screens. That should relieve them some pressure so they can get a clean look. That’s something that I specialize at. So I’m super excited to do it for those guys. Luka is a pick-and-roll master. He’s probably the best in the league at it with finding angles and manipulating the defense. I want to pick his mind and learn from him and how he wants his screens set. With talking with those guys, I’m excited about that part, too. Every time I go to a new team or play with a new guard, I ask them how he likes to play. That’s always the fun part.”
Have you been able to link up with them yet?
Looney: “Not yet. I got married [on Saturday], so I’ve been in full wedding mode (laughs).
That’s more important. Congrats!!
Looney: “Appreciate it! Appreciate it!
What has been your glow like with you celebrating with your close one and joining the Lakers?
Looney: “It’s been amazing. It all worked out for me. I got to play with her hometown team and get married. Everybody is excited. It feels good. I had a great time. I got to be around all of my friends and family. So I’m just glowing right now. It’s been the best two days that I’ve probably had.”
That’s fantastic. Where did the wedding take place?
Looney: “In Santa Barbara.”
Oh great. So you’re close to where you’re going to be. What was it like to have everything merge together?
Looney: “It was stressful. Leading up to the wedding, I didn’t have a job yet. So you know how that goes. It was a little nerve wracking. But once I had the opportunity to sign and know where I was going to be at, it took a lot of weight off of my shoulders. When free agency first started, I thought, ‘I’m going to have to move to a new city. I’m going to have to do this and do that.’ I still have to move. But I’m already training in LA this summer. So it all worked out perfectly. Her whole family is based out here. So her family is super excited, and she’s super excited. Now that we’re officially married, we get to start our new chapter. We get to do it here. So that’s exciting.”
That’s awesome. Congrats again.
Looney: “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Going back to hoops and what you said about Luka and the gravity he attracts. You also played with Steph and saw how his gravity works. What notes do you take from that experience, and how can you apply it with how you play with Luka?
Looney: “Guys like Steph and Luka see a lot of different coverages. As a big man in the pick-and-roll, you have to be ready for all of those different reads. Is he getting blitzed? Are they playing into drop? You’re going to see all sorts of different coverages throughout the game. You have to be ready to change your screens and change your angles. So with playing with Steph, I’ve seen a lot. I can bring that to Luka. I know when we played him last year, we always doubled. We did a lot of tricky schemes. Already gaving that experience with playing with Steph, a player of that kind of caliber, just prepares my mind that they’re going to try to get the ball out of his hands. So I’ll be ready to make plays out of the pocket. Or hold my screens to get Luka open. Or set earlier screens in the back. I’ll do all of those things to try to make his job easier.”
In some respects, this might be a new thing since Luka and Steph play the game differently. How do you prepare for Luka’s different style of play?
Looney: “It’s more of a learning thing. Every guard is different. Everyone has their own little tendencies. So my job as a big is to ask as many questions as possible and see what he wants. Does he want me to roll inside? Does he want me to pop? Does he want me to short roll? Those are things that you learn with experience. I look forward to picking his mind because he’s one of the best in the league at it. Wherever he wants to be at, that’s where I’m going to be at. It’s going to be a good learning experience.”
What do you think you and Walker Kessler can do in the moments that you’re playing together?
Looney: “We can definitely control the glass. He’s a big presence in the paint. He’s an elite shot blocker. He can step outside and make a 3. He can catch lobs. He can do it all. I always hated playing against him because he’s an elite shot blocker. So being able to share the court with him will be pretty cool. Having a rim protector behind you is always great. I feel like I’m a versatile defender. I’ve always had to guard multiple positions at 4, 5 and even 3 and switching. So I’m excited. It’ll be cool to play with him and learn from him. I can also teach him some things. He’s a young guy. I’ve been competing against him for a few years. So sharing the locker room with him is going to be cool.”
How have you been feeling physically overall coming off the injuries that you had last season?
Looney: “I’ve been feeling great. I got injured in the beginning of the year. After that, I didn’t really play that much. So that didn’t really put a lot of stress on my body. So right now, I’m in great shape. My hips, knees and everything else feels great. So I’m feeling amazing.”
And in fairness, you’ve been able to play a lot of games in previous seasons. Given how much progress you made with that, what’s your outlook on being able to more available this season?
Looney: “I feel good. Last year, I was hurt in preseason. After that, I didn’t have a major injury. It was more that they were young and I didn’t play as much. So I didn’t put a lot of strain on my body. I was actually healthy for most of the year. The knee injury was a freak thing that happened in preseason. But other than that, I felt good. I took my rehab seriously. I made sure nothing was lingering. The staff over in New Orleans was great with the process. So I feel good. My body feels great. I’m good to go.”
You said you’ve been training earlier this summer in LA. What has that entailed?
Looney: “I’m always at UCLA. Every summer, I come out here. Since the season ended in April. I’ve been out here and working on my game, getting my body right and getting my mind right. I have a big season coming up. Now that I know what team I’m going to be on, I can tailor my workouts to prepare for the team. I’ll talk to Coach [JJ Redick] on what he’s looking forward for me to do out there. I’ll then change what I need to do. But right now, I’ve been working on my body and my cardio and make sure that I’m feeling in tip-top shape. It’s all of that good stuff.”
I know in past seasons you did a lot of jujitsu, MMA, boxing…
Looney: “Yeah, I’ve been doing muay thai this summer. That’s my thing right now. I’ve been doing muay thai. I’m always doing my joga. Those have been the two things that I’ve been doing, plus basketball and running.
What do the muay thai and joga sessions look like?
Looney: “I usually do joga to start my morning. I go for about an hour with a lot of stability and mobility type of stuff with my hips and my core. During the season, I do that on game day. Then in the offseason, it’s a little bit different. I ramp it up and make it harder. I’ve been doing it the last two months. I go for about an hour. Then I do a lot of pad work with muay thai. You have to do a lot of kicks. It opens up your hips. I wanted to try that to improve my mobility and turn my body a different way. I’ve been doing that. It’s a lot of fun. There’s always a learning curve when you’re doing something new like that. I’m learning something new in the gym with a few guys that’s doing amateur fights. They’re pushing me. They’re training me to be a part of that culture.”
You didn’t play a lot last season. But you didn’t have a lot of finishes. How do you think that can change with playing with Luka?
Looney: “He draws a lot of gravity. I get a chance to play in the pocket and space the floor. There are a lot of different reads. I’m going to sit with Coach and see what he envisions me doing for every game. But with playing out of the pocket and setting screens for Luka, AR, Quinten [Grimes] and Collin Sexton, I’ll be able to get a lot of shooters open. Those guys are scoring guards and are going to get a lot of attention. When guards draw a lot of attention like that, I usually get a lot of dunks if I do my job right. So I’m excited about that. I’m excited about getting back out there and show people why I think I’m an elite offensive rebounder. I’m one of the best in the league. I want to show everybody why I have that calling card.”
What makes you an elite offensive rebounder?
Looney: “I’ve always been pretty good at it. I’ve always been pretty relentless at it. People don’t look at me as a super athlete. But I think I have a pretty good second jump and quick jump. I also study my teammates. I study their shots. I know where to go. I practice that skill. Just like I practice shooting and defense, I also work on my offensive rebounding. I got drills that I do that help me feel better about it. I also watch a lot of film. At Golden State, the coaches always used to talk about the different angles and rules that we would do to get better position and things like that. There’s a whole science to it. I think Steven Adams did a podcast earlier on that and was talking about it and his science. I kind of do the same thing. But I didn’t like that he spilled out all the secrets because there’s definitely an art to it. I take it real seriously.”
So you’re going to keep your drills secret?
Looney: “Yeah! I can’t tell everybody my stuff (laughs).”
I talked to Mike Brown when he was coaching the Kings. He said even though Steph had 50 points in Game 7 [in 2023], Mike was adamant that the Kings would’ve won Game 7 if it wasn’t for your rebounding. What do you think?
Looney: “That’s big-time praise. Steph carried the show. But I did have a pretty good game. That’s always been one of my favorite games. Steph went for 50 points in a Game 7, and I added 20 rebounds. That was a good game against Mike B, who was one of my favorite coaches. That was a great, great game and memory of me.”
You’ve mentioned about being exposed to Lakers fans when you were at UCLA and then playing against them with the Warriors and a little bit of the Pelicans. What were those experiences like?
Looney: “It’s just the way that they travel. You can go to any city, and they’re there. You go to Summer League, and it feels like they take over Summer League every year. It seems like that when we’re out there in Vegas. It’s like that even in New Orleans. When we played them in New Orleans last year, the whole stands were pretty much all Lakers fans. They travel and show up. They have some of the best fans. They all want their team to win. When I was a kid, I was one of those Lakers fans. I know how it goes. I was part of Lakers Nation growing up. So seeing the fans and how they support their team, win, lose or draw, they’re always going to show up. In my first couple years in the league and they weren’t as good, they still were selling out and were still showing up and still were the talk of the league. So I know how important this franchise is to the NBA and to the world.”
Who were the Lakers players that you idolized as a Lakers fan?
Looney: “I was a big Kobe guy. That’s my favorite player. Kobe was my guy.”
What were your favorite moments when you watched him growing up?
Looney: “My favorite moment with Kobe is the championship when they beat Boston [in 2010]. They had lost to them before [in 2008]. So to come back and beat them was amazing. Then as a player, they played us when Kobe’s jersey was retired. So I was able to be there for that. That was a super cool memory.”
How did you soak that in?
Looney: “That was only my third year in the league. So to be at the game playing against the Lakers and see Kobe’s number get retired, it brought all of the memories back of me watching him as a kid. To actually be on an NBA court after dreaming of being like him, that was a surreal moment for me.”
Mark Medina is an NBA contributor to Fadeaway World. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
