Kevon Looney Reveals Final Conversation With Steph Curry After Leaving Warriors

Golden State Warriors Champion Kevon Looney reveals final conversation with Steph Curry after leaving the team

Feb 3, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) high fives forward Kevon Looney (5) as a timeout is called during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors' offseason has been a whole lot of nothing, to keep it simple. After making a deadline deal to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Warriors, the only additions the team has made since then is drafting Alex Toohey and Will Richard in the 2025 NBA Draft.

However, the Warriors did lose a key player, as veteran and NBA Champion Kevon Looney signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. A standout rebounder, Looney's departure is a tough one for the fan base. In a post to The Players' Tribune, Looney revealed how that final conversation went down between him and Steph Curry.

Looney's Final Conversation

May 10, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) is pressured by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (left) and center Kevon Looney (behind) and guard Stephen Curry (right) in the second half in game six of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images

"And so, with that, I’ll leave you with what me, Steph, and Draymond said to each other when I called them last week to break the news," Looney wrote. "Those were my first two calls. Those guys, they’ve been my big brothers for the past 10 years — showing me the ropes, guiding me, helping me to grow up."

Looney joined the Warriors the season after their first NBA title in the Curry era, and was a rookie for the legendary 73-9 season. He only played in five games, but his role increased drastically over the years. Continuing on, Looney shared what those conversations sounded like between him and the two stars.

"What a journey we all went on together!”

“Ten amazing years.”

“It’s been one hell of a ride!”

Looney's Warriors Tenure

“I’m Bay Area for life, no matter where I go.”

—Kevon Looney in his goodbye letter to the Warriors via @PlayersTribune

Forever a real one. Forever a champ. Forever a franchise favorite. 🫡🫡 pic.twitter.com/gVuRNqRstg

— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) July 6, 2025

As mentioned, Looney saw action in just five games as a rookie, and his role increased year by year. His role took a big jump during the 2018-19 season, playing in 80 games and starting 24 of them, backing up DeMarcus Cousins.

His role would then fluctuate over the following two seasons, before he firmly established himself as a starter in the 2021-22 season. Appearing in all 82 games, starting in 80 of them, and playing just over 21 minutes per night, Looney averaged 6.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. However, it was the postseason where he established himself as a franchise legend.

Kevon Looney spoke about the end of his time with the Warriors.

(via @ThompsonScribe) pic.twitter.com/diFJFwCRKg

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 15, 2025

During the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks in 2022, Looney had two of his best postseason games, one being a 21-point, 12-rebound performance in Game 2 and a 10-point, 18-rebound performance in Game 5.

Looney's New Role In New Orleans

Now, Looney has moved on to New Orleans, where he'll look to serve as the veteran in a young center room featuring 2024 All-Rookie performer Yves Missi and 2025 13th overall pick Derik Queen. Even though he's not in San Francisco anymore, he'll always have a special place in his heart for the team.

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