After a decade with the Golden State Warriors, Kevon Looney has found a new home. The veteran center signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans shortly after free agency opened, ending one of the longest single tenures of any player in the league. With three championships to his name and countless memories in the Bay, it was obvious Loon couldn’t simply leave without saying goodbye.
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The 29-year-old shared a heartfelt message on The Players’ Tribune, thanking the franchise while cracking a couple jokes along the way. He appreciates the entirety of his time with Golden State, but the former first-rounder couldn’t help but reminisce fondly on his time playing at the Oracle Arena, the franchise’s home court until 2019.
He showed love to the team’s new venue, the Chase Center, as well. But for Kevin Looney, there wasn’t a better basketball environment to hoop in than Oracle.
“Those first few seasons in the league, when I think back, the basketball was obviously great. But the setting? The setting!!!! You know what … that might have been even better,” Looney wrote. “Oracle. Or ROARacle! Either one. Whatever you wanna call it … that place was magical. You wanna talk about a special hoops venue? For my money … it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Looney also made sure to include a light-hearted jab directed at team owner Joe Lacob, as he was the one who decided to move the team. When the move away from Oracle was first announced, nearly everyone involved with the franchise was upset, including the players. The arena had become their battleground in recent years.
“And look, Joe, don’t get me wrong. I love Chase Center. It’s great. Beautiful. I loved playing there. First-class everything. Don’t @ me. But Oracle? All those memories? Oakland? Those crowds? That NOISE?” he continued. “Oracle’s undefeated with me, for sure. It’s a shrine. Definitely the best arena I ever played in as far as a crowd goes, an energy.”
Looney had a memorable stint with the Warriors, spending time alongside former MVPs Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant while holding down the paint. Often the forgotten member of the Dubs’ stacked starting lineup, Looney rarely filled up the stat sheet. But he played a vital role for a Warriors team that needed a cheap replacement at center.
It wasn’t a cheap transition for Lacob and the Warriors, though, who spent $1.4 billion on the massive building project. Over time, the Dubs adapted to the Chase Center, even winning their first championship in the arena after just three seasons. But the Warriors that played the majority of their careers at Oracle, the former arena, will always be their home.
“Of course we should play at least one more game before it’s all said and done back there. Just to kind of relive the old days,” said Steph in 2023. Clearly, Oracle holds a special place in this era’s Warriors stars’ hearts and rightfully so.
Looney’s free agency decision signals that the Warriors are heading in a new direction this season. His role had already been diminishing over the past two years, making it clear that his time with the team was nearing an end. Now, he’ll look to help a discombobulated Pelicans squad rise above mediocrity.
