Kevon Looney Interview from 2025 Pelicans Media Day | New Orleans Pelicans

Kevon Looney Interview from 2025 Pelicans Media Day | New Orleans Pelicans

just uh what was it like just you know kind of moving on from go to you know find a new team and what did you just think about this new situation? Uh it’s been exciting, you know, uh opportunity, new something new, new uh new journey, a new chapter in my career. Uh you know, got a group group of guys to play with. Uh playing under Willie and uh you know, playing with Zion, Trey, and you know, JP and Herb, I’m looking looking forward to it. You know, you know, leaving somewhere is always a little bittersweet, but uh to come to a situation like this, I’m just super excited. What do you think you can bring to this? Uh, I could bring another level of toughness, you know, definitely rebounding, uh, know, uh, defense experience, uh, you know, and being just being available all the time. Something I take pride in. Those are the things I kind of, you know, been stable in my career. I just want to bring that over here, uh, and translate in a new situation. Jordan said he hasn’t had a good screen in two years has been to play with him again and just have be able to pick up where you left off. Uh, I’m super excited, you know, uh, somebody that from my same city, Milwaukee. been following him closely uh for us to you know play in the league together and win a championship. So we’ve been in a the most high pressure situation together. So I’m looking forward to you know playing with him again in in a new environment and uh and trying to do something special again. A lot of you know NBA fans kind of don’t realize the value of stuff like screening or boxing out some of the stuff that you’ve been making as a career out of. How much do you kind of embrace that stuff that doesn’t necessarily get praised a lot, you know, in the media or elsewhere? Uh I take a lot of pride in that stuff. Uh, you know, um, you know, I do, uh, I take pride in doing all the all the small stuff, all the all the hard work stuff, doing all the the the tough stuff, the stuff that don’t always show up in the in the box score. Uh, you know, you know, usually the f the the hometown fans might take uh, uh, appreciation for it. I know my teammates always do. So, uh, you know, I’m looking forward to coming in just make an impact however I can. Uh, if it’s rebounding, screen setting, diving on the floor, uh, scoring, whatever they need me to do, I’m willing to sacrifice and go out there and do it. and I’m just looking forward for the opportunity. Jordan kind of talk about your profession. Mhm. Where did that kind of come from? Is it just kind of like you always been like that or just kind of being around guys? Uh a little bit of both. Something that I always been been part of. Kind of something I learned from my my father. You know, he made sure that I was always on time. Uh you know, he always got up every day of the week and went to work and and came back and he stuck to his routine. That’s something I kind of learned uh is getting a routine. and being being a pro, I got to learn from some of the best. Uh, you know, I kind of they set a standard for me and I kind of follow that and I try to know carry that everywhere I go and I try to do the same thing for younger guys that come after me. So, uh, I feel like I’ve been doing a good job of that and I’m going to come here and try to do the same thing. What’s it like being the elder statesman? I know it’s weird to say you’re 29 years old, but you’re the only one with double digits in years experience in the NBA. Yeah, it’s actually crazy. Uh, I never been the oldest team, oldest player on the team or not even close. Uh, I always had a a real old guys on the team. So, uh, it’s definitely going to be different, but uh, I’m here for it. I’m here to embrace it. Uh, uh, just don’t call me old. I ain’t old yet. What are your first impressions of Zion? Have you had any talks with him? What do you think of him now that you become teammates with him? Uh, he’s been a really cool guy from my my impression with him so far. I got to work out with him a few times and, uh, see him see him work, see how dedicated he’s been this summer. uh you know got to play with him in some pickup games and just seeing how I mean I already knew how good he was you know when I played him in the past that was my matchup so I know how how much of a headache he is to guard and those different things but just to see his personality uh see how how fun loving he is off the court and how fun he is has been pretty cool I’m looking forward to to even bonding even more and uh get to be teammates with him I know consistency and role is something you’re looking forward to uh this season what kind of conversations have you had with Bill Green on on you know what the expectations are for Uh now we talked a little bit about it. You know uh you know training camp is is the time to really you know to see your role. You know you can they can tell you uh how things are going to be but you know you really get to experience in training camp. So uh now it’s opportunity here for me to get get more minutes get more opportunity and I’m looking forward to embracing that uh leaving my impact on this team. But we definitely talked about a little bit about about role and different things like that and what they expect from me and they expect me to do what I did in the past and even do a little bit more. So, I’m looking forward to bringing that here, bringing that toughness, bringing that defense, uh, and rebounding. Uh, I think I we’ll have a great year this year. Talk to Jordan and we asked him about, uh, you know, the the championship caliber, you know, experience and all. Same thing. Joe Dumar’s expresses chemistry and character in this building, championship. Do you see anything here that maybe you’ve experienced in the past that this could be a unique kind of group? Uh, definitely. you know, just being here, just seeing the the camaraderie in the locker room, I didn’t know what to expect coming in. Uh, and these guys seem to really really like each other. Uh, they they communicate really well. Uh, have a great energy to them. Uh, and, you know, back when in the Golden State in the years we were really good, we always talked about having good basketball energy and having a joy to, you know, coming to work and seeing your teammates. That’s really important because it’s a long year and it’s being here in in a short time and seeing guys over the summertime, they they had that already. Uh, hopefully that can translate to things on the court. But, you know, uh, we have a lot of high character guys and a lot of guys that have had good basketball IQ and, uh, I think that can, uh, take his team a long way. You’ve told us that he’s already spent a good amount of time with you and obviously they just drafted Derek. What’s kind of been your message to the young bigs on the team as you’re kind of getting them? Uh, just showing them how to work. Uh, showing what it takes to, you know, night in night out to what it takes to be a, you know, an anchor to a team on defense uh, in this league. uh know I got to learn from some of the best of them. So just sharing the knowledge that they they they passed on to me uh learning how to communicate as a young big uh is probably the biggest thing uh that I know I had to learn and I really been really good at over the last few years just being able to talk talk through coverages and different things like that. So and learning how to screen something that I’m I’m really really good at and uh your guards and other teammates appreciate when you’re able to do that for them and ends up turning into easy buckets and easy things for you as well. So, uh, just small things like that, uh, I’m looking to pass on to them. I’m also looking forward to learn from them. And, you know, they they got a new freshness to the game, a new different approach. So, I’m I’m just looking forward to getting that energy and, uh, and learn both ways. With Willie and JC on the staff, uh, do you feel like it’s going to be a little bit of a quicker transition for you to pick up like there’s not going to be a gap between terminology much from your time with Warriors and some of the concepts and ideas that they work with? Uh, definitely. You know, uh, I’ve been in the league a long time. you know, the game changed, but a lot of teams run the same stuff and kind of have the same terminology. Now, if they do have a different terminology, it’s still kind of the same action. So, uh, you know, I take pride of being a smart player. So, I think I’ll be able to pick it up pretty easy. And having guys like JC and, uh, Coach Green and Coach Aaron Miles is people that I’ve been been around before and played under. So, uh, it’s definitely been an easy transition for me. Uh, I’m coming in feeling already feeling comfortable with everything and, uh, comfortable with the coaches as well. So, it’s been a blessing. kind of a good question to answer already, but what is there a difference in approach or just an overall vibe coming from, you know, the Warriors to a team that won 20 games last year that national media doesn’t have pick to finish, you know, as a playoff team? What what are your thoughts on that and how do you approach? Uh my approach is uh it’s definitely a little bit different uh know different players so you know different group uh guys in different stages of their career. So definitely a different approach for me. Uh but you know it’s the same goal is to win. You know uh I feel like I seen this team uh win a lot of games. Uh you know last year was a rough year and I’ve been in situation where injuries bug hits the team and know it was a year in go state we won 15 games and it it was terrible but we able to bounce back and make uh make a run over the next few years after that. So uh I feel like we have the talent to be really really good. Uh, I think we just got to go out there and compete and I think we can prove a lot to the media and a lot of people wrong. I think everybody’s going to have a chip on their shoulder. Uh, I can tell these guys are really, really competitive and they’re really everybody’s hungry to to take that next step. Uh, and everybody has is in a point in their career where they really want to prove themselves. And I think when you get that together and with the chemistry that that we have that we can do something special. Uh, it wasn’t that long ago this team was competing for competing for the playoffs. I remember playing them. They beat us in a a big game for for play like 40 or something crazy. So, I know how good this team can be and how how special this group can be and I’m uh looking forward to be a part of that and hopefully I can help our team reach our potential. What do you know about the the fan base and the city itself here? Uh, I mean, New Orleans has a rich history. Uh, you know, throughout my time in the NBA, I had a a opportunity to play here in the playoffs. Uh, so I know how how how loud the fans can get and how how much they love their team. and they just want to just show up and be there especially when when guys are really competing and they really embody the the personality of the city. Uh hopefully I can help be part of you know us winning a lot of games and making the playoff push and I know if we do the right things and we play the right way and uh I know our our fans are going to show up and support and be loud and uh get behind us and I’m looking forward to that and u it should be really exciting. Based on your interactions with him and also knowing about his history, what can you say about Joe Dumars? Uh he’s been great so far, you know. uh uh getting to know him, his honesty, his uh he’s really really approachable. He he really loves to talk to the game of basketball. He really know cares about, you know, uh the players perspective. He’s been on both sides as a as a player and a a GM. So, he knows how what it takes and he know how it takes to be have a good locker room. He’s been a champion as a as a player and as a GM. So, uh just getting to learn from him and pick his brain, uh it’s it’s been really really really cool. uh like I said, he know what it takes to build a winning culture. Uh so I think he’s be putting the right guys in uh in situations to to succeed and uh it’s been it’s been cool just to learn from and I always heard about him from afar and uh you know watch watch my dad talk about him his the way he played and what he did on the court. Uh so to get to really know him and and meet has been really really cool. Why why New Orleans? Why did why did you want to come here? Like I said I knew like I said I played against this group. Uh, I know we got it’s a young team that has a chance to really be really special. Uh, I want to be part of a team that, you know, is striving and moving in in a direction where they feel like they can make that jump. Uh, you know, sometime you go to a team, it it feels like it’s a total rebuild, but I feel like they already had the pieces. You know, they just had to be healthy. And I feel like I can come in and, you know, make an impact um and be part of a culture that’s know a team that’s making that that next ascension. And uh you know seeing the pieces they had you know seeing the people they was putting in position of of uh of management kind of drew me to here um and a city like New Orleans is is a is a great city. Um you know every time I came here is always great to play here. The the people the fan base and I’m just looking forward to embracing putting myself in the culture. You said uh that you’re not old earlier. I just wanted to know from you directly at what age do you consider? I would say age is probably I played with with reals and that was in a 30 35. I played with a couple 40 year olds so I know what what reals look like. Shout out my man Andre Godala. He was about 45 when he was playing with me. So uh I would say about about 35 is is the age you can be considered in the NBA locker room. 34 35 is is the young age in the locker room, not 29. Obviously, there’s no um there’s no one like Klay Thompson, but do you feel like you can recreate some of the the chemistry that you maybe had with Clay with with with Trey Murphy here, who’s a also a great student? Uh, for sure. You know, I don’t really like making comparisons or nothing like that. No, they’re they’re different players and uh different stages of their career. Uh, you know, Clay’s one of the greatest shooters to ever play played his game and uh I think Trey has those same as aspirations and he has a chance to be really really good. So, I’m just looking forward to building a chemistry with him. Uh, you know, learning how to play with him. I I haven’t got a lot of time to spend a lot of time on the court with him. Uh, so I’m looking forward just to know picking his brain, seeing how he sees the games, uh, learning his favorite spots. Uh, and being able to, you know, do what I do for him, getting them open. Uh, so I’m I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can create create a great chemistry and, uh, I think, uh, the sky sky is the ceiling for him. He he had a chance to be one of the best players in our league and hopefully I can, you know, have an impact of of of make him reach that that level he wants to. How strange is it going to be not to have Steph just not seeing? It’s definitely going to be different. Uh, you know, Steph is one of the greatest ever play just to not even just him being around just the hoop out he brings when he he steps into arena, you know, traveling with him, you know, he’s a know he’s a rock star. Uh it’s probably gonna be a little bit different, but you know um you know I got I learned a lot from him uh being around him. So I can carry all the stuff that he taught me and how to be a professional, how to be a pro, how to carry yourself on on the court, how to treat fans, how to treat uh people around uh you know in the organization. I kind of learn from him. He’s he’s one of the best to to ever do it. So it’s definitely going to be different. Uh but I’m excited for this new journey, new opportunity. What’s the craz as far as just on the court? I know it’s a lot. Yeah, it’s a lot. Uh, in practice was probably the the time he hit 105 threes in a row in uh in Chicago. That was that was pretty crazy. Uh uh he did so many things. I could pick a a game a week where he probably did something outrageous, but I probably the most thing I probably remember about Steph is our time in in Oakland at Oracle. that the third quarters he used to put on and the way that the he had the full control of the crowd. He was like a conductor. He just got everybody going and you know he’d do his little dances and shimmies and turn around threes and and we we’ll be down 10 and by the end of the third we’ll be up 22. So that those those memories in Oracle I probably always remember. How would you break down Herb’s defense? You know you play alongside Draymond for so many years. Where would you rate Herb among the best defensively in the league? Uh right now I think he’s one of he’s one of the best. Uh definitely, you know, for for the wing position uh or wing guard position, I would say he’s he’s top three. You know, he’s a guy that uh he can disrupt your whole offense. He gets in the passing lane. He’s on the ball. He’s always a guy that was impossible to screen. Uh so I’m looking forward to being uh on a being a tandem with him, playing pick and roll defense with him. Uh you know, picking his mind about what he sees and how he approaches the defensive end. I had, like I said, I had the honor of of playing with guys like Draymond, Andre. Uh they was some of the best defenders our league I ever seen. I think Herb has the chance to be in that caliber. Uh I think he’s in that caliber. I think he get to show himself that he’s one of the the best to do it. So uh I’m looking forward to it. Uh I know it’s going to be a lot of fun and I think we can cause a lot of havoc on that end. What was it like seeing some of the reactions from your former teammates uh coaches when it was official that you would leave and it just seemed like they had a lot of respect for what you brought to those championship teams? Uh, no. It was like it was bittersweet, you know, uh, to get that respect and that love from from guys that you went to war with for for so long and, uh, for them to, you know, like these guys are all time greats. They’re they’re respected. They’re going probably all a lot of them going to be Hall of Famers. For them to show that level uh, love and uh, respect for me. Um, it was definitely cool. Uh, like I said, it was definitely bittersweet, but you know, um, I’m even more excited looking back to going back and and competing against them guys. I know how how uh competitive they are and uh I kind of learn a lot from them. So, just to go go back there and go against them and hopefully I get a couple wins up on them and I can always hold it over the head. So, I’m looking forward to that. One or two more guys. Steph probably has the most gravity on the court in terms of how he changes the the coverages and like the the the spaces available on the court. Zion um is not entirely dissimilar, but it’s on a completely different side of the court, right? Like in the paint. What’s the challenge going to be? um you know for you like working with this new set of spacing. Uh I’m not sure. I’m I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a challenge for me. You know, he draws so much attention. Uh uh he puts so much pressure on the rim. It’s uh kind of changes the way uh it probably change the way I I got to be ready to be on the floor, but I think it make a lot of things easier for me as far as like know offensive rebounding. He puts so much pressure guys that got got to try to block his shot. They got to load up. They can’t really worry about me where I’m at on the court. So, uh, the opportunity to cut, uh, you know, space the floor, you know, get off the rebounds is is going to probably be a lot a little bit easier for me. Uh, you know, Steph was a thing where they always put two on the ball. You will be open in the pocket. You had opportunity to make a lot of plays and, uh, playing four on three and different things like that. But, know, playing with Zion, I probably have a lot more opportunities just to, you know, cut and uh, you know, be spaced out. I’ve been working on on my on my three-point shot and just a lot more offensive rebounds. You know, he puts so much pressure on the rim. Uh, four or five guys got to go uh, collapse on him. that makes my job easier as a rebounder just to go in there and cause havoc. So, I’m looking forward to it and uh you know, learning know definitely going to be different a learning experience just to just cuz I never played with nobody like that before. But I’m looking forward to it and I think it’s going to be something easy for me to adapt to.

New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Kevon Looney addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
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