Kevon Looney's two-year stint with the Golden State Warriors had left much to desire from the young forward, a reason the team did not pick up his option earlier this season.
“It was kind of a let down,” Looney told Tim Kawakami and Marcus Thompson on the Warriors Plus/Minus Podcast. “I knew it was up in the air. It was going back and forth, back and forth. When they didn't pick it up — they told me why, I understood, I've been here for three years, I've seen a lot of players come and go; I know basketball is a business — I was kind of let down.”
Yet the UCLA product still had one more season left with the team, one which could entice the Warriors to keep him or another team to sign him this offseason.
“But I knew I was going to try and make the most of it. Now I'm playing for my contract for next year,” said Looney. “I just wanted to go prove myself. I knew this summer there was a lot of doubts about what I could do. People were doubting if I would even be in the NBA still… I knew what I was capable of.”
A frontcourt of veterans like David West, Omri Casspi, and Javale McGee offered very little opportunity for him to shine, but transforming his body to a lighter, quicker frame allowed him to garner the playing time he sought.
“A lot of broccoli and turkey and plain food. Food that wasn't that good but it's something that I had to get used to,” said Looney, who lost 30 pounds over the offseason. “Taco Bell, fried chicken, I was eating that on the regular… coming off of injury, you can't eat like that. It's a different level of intensity in the NBA.
“I had to change my diet. Andre (Iguodala) was in my ear for two years about it. I finally listened to him and it paid off.”
Iguodala has taken on a mentorship role since coming off the bench for Steve Kerr, taking the likes of Patrick McCaw under his wing and offering his advice and friendship to other young players growing through the system.
Looney's opportunity has come at a crucial time, with the Warriors suffering a myriad of injuries and needing his services throughout this final stretch of the regular season.
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