The 10-year veteran penned a farewell essay in the Player’s Tribune about Oracle Arena, proving himself to Hall of Famers, getting MVP chants, and leaving with no hard feelings — but some sad feelings
Kevon Looney never wanted to leave the Golden State Warriors or the Bay Area, but this summer, a big offer from the New Orleans Pelicans was too much to turn down. Sunday in The Players’ Tribune, Looney declared that, even though he’s playing elsewhere, “I’m Bay Area for life, no matter where I go.”
10 years in the Bay changed my life. Thank you, Dub Nation. @PlayersTribune https://t.co/Zc4oBxV7Pt
— LOONEY (@Loon_Rebel5) July 6, 2025
In his heartfelt essay, Looney made it clear that he felt grateful for his decade with the Dubs — and that it wasn’t exactly his choice to leave.
This was not an easy decision for me. I know that I’ve had it good for the past 10 years, believe me. And year after year, any time free agency came up, I always said that if the money was even close, I’m gonna choose to stay. This time around, though, it wasn’t something where the Warriors made me a solid, competitive offer, and I would be able to pick between the two … or maybe give the Warriors a bit of a discount. That wasn’t even an option this time, unfortunately. That offer never really came.
The 10-year veteran said there were “no hard feelings” between him and the team, but there were “sad feelings.” There was also a lot of anxiety at every trade deadline, because Looney decidedly did not want to leave his only NBA home.
Looney occupied a unique position as a guy who joined the Warriors as a 19-year-old rookie and they didn’t lose for his first seven weeks on the team. They only lost two games before the new year, while Looney was really only practicing after having surgeries before the season, so shy that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson claimed he didn’t talk to anyone for six months.
What changed? Steve Kerr and Draymond Green screamed at each other in the locker room during a February game in Oklahoma City. After that, Looney realized that things weren’t perfect, and that the team had a lot of fire, but things got messy.
Hey, how’d that game end again?
“After that,” Looney said, he stopped walking on eggshells. “I opened up more, and Draymond took me under his wing, Andre, too. I was able to really be myself after that.”
What was Looney’s most memorable moment as a Warrior? Getting “M-V-P” chants during a Warriors playoff game in 2022 against the Dallas Mavericks. While Looney would often get “LOOOOON” chants from the crowd, this was surprising, so much that Looney thought, “Is Steph about to check into the game? What’s going on?”
One other takeaway from Looney’s piece is that, despite the criticism he gets for his handling of young players, Steve Kerr was singled out for a ton of praise from Looney.
With Steve, especially, the confidence he instilled in me by speaking on my behalf and letting people know that he and the team valued me … that was massive. All the kind words he’s spoken about me during my career, they made me feel like I was invincible, like I could accomplish anything. He’s a legend, and his support meant the world to me.
Looney will miss the Bay Area, and the Bay Area is going to miss Looney. In the words of the man himself, “Not every ending has gotta be a sad ending.”
It’s still a sad ending.