NBA Free Agency: Kevon Looney could return as a hometown hero for the Milwaukee Bucks
By Adam McGee
With two championship rings already to his name, could a hometown return be on the cards in NBA free agency for Kevon Looney with the Milwaukee Bucks?
Who is Kevon Looney?
Kevon Looney is a Milwaukee native with an impressive list of accolades to his name, who is set to hit free agency for the first time at the still very young age of 22.
Looney was born and raised in Milwaukee and came to statewide and national attention as he starred at Alexander Hamilton High School. Looney’s exploits at that level led to him picking up illustrious Wisconsin Mr. Basketball honors and being named as a McDonald’s All-American.
From there, Looney continued his journey to the NBA at UCLA, turning down in-state offers from Wisconsin and Marquette. Looney impressed in just a single year under Steve Alford, before declaring for the draft and surprisingly sliding all the way to 30th due to injury concerns.
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The advantage of that slide for Looney was he landed with the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors, where he has since gone on to win two championships in three seasons.
Looney’s role increased significantly last season, as work on his diet led to him dropping 30lbs in the offseason. As a result, Looney became a favored option of Steve Kerr at center, notably against some of the best teams the Warriors had to face throughout the year.
Looney’s defense, particularly his ability to switch on to smaller opponents, was central to that, as illustrated by Steve Kerr’s comments about his fit in the modern game.
"“He’s a guy who can guard multiple spots. He can switch onto point guards or he can protect the rim, and that’s what it takes these days to be a big in the league.”"
With all of that considered, let’s take a closer look at Looney’s game, his free agency outlook, how he could fit with the Milwaukee Bucks, and much more.