Kevon Looney has spent his entire eight-year career with the Golden State Warriors. He's been a rookie G-Leaguer, deep bench player, part-time starter and indispensable cog en route to winning two championships in Golden State, becoming one of the most beloved and respected role players in recent NBA history.

Looney's well-traveled path to Warriors lore wouldn't have been possible without the stalwart support of Steve Kerr, his only coach in the NBA so far—and with someone he shares a “truly special” relationship.

“I have a great relationship with Coach. You know, he believed in me when a lot of the fans and even other training staff and players maybe didn’t. He gave me an opportunity when I probably didn’t deserve it when I was coming off injury and had a lot to prove. He always had a lot of trust in me and put me in spots where I had to either sink or swim,” Looney told ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel of Kerr. “Luckily, I found a little bit of success early on and was able to earn more trust. I think he believed in me and what I could do when I didn’t even believe in myself, so I truly have a special level of respect for him. Coach Kerr is always there to give us advice and even outside of basketball, he’s someone we can count on. When I was dealing with being injured and going through that dark time, he was always someone I could talk to about life. He was a guy trying to figure his way out in the NBA early in his coaching career too, so we kind of related to one another in that way. Now, people are talking about him as one of the greatest coaches ever. It’s great to have him in my corner and we share a really strong connection with one another.”

Looney wasn't lying about the mutual connection he shares with Kerr. An NBA lifer, Kerr is never shy to heap praise on his players, but speaks of Looney in a revelatory tone normally reserved for the likes of all-time, team-first greats like Stephen Curry and San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan, his former teammate.

“Loon is kind of everybody's favorite guy,” Kerr said of Looney during the Dubs' 2022 title run. “You know, he's so respected in the locker room. He's an incredible pro. Does his job every day. Comes in, whether we play him for ten minutes or 32, his demeanor is the same. His work ethic is the same. He's an incredibly smart player and he sort of gives us a lot of stability that we need.”

Golden State is vying for a fifth title in 10 years this season, and Looney is fully confident his team has what it takes to be the last one standing in June. If the Warriors reach those heights once again, rest assured the bond between Looney and Kerr will have played a big part in the team-wide chemistry and connectedness it takes to get there.