Looney Assists Golden State Warriors in Playoff Pursuit

Former UCLA standout Kevon Looney, an All-Pac-12 performer in 2015, scored 14 points and five rebounds on Friday night to help push the Golden State Warriors into the NBA's Western Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive year.
 
Looney, in his fourth NBA season (all with Golden State), has averaged 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 12 postseason games this spring. The 6-foot-9 forward/center has logged 18.2 minutes per game in the playoffs, having contributed 14 points and five rebounds in Game 6 after totaling five points and nine rebounds in a critical Game 5 victory last Wednesday.
 
Originally hailing from Milwaukee, Looney is one of three former UCLA players who are still competing on teams in contention for the NBA title. Norman Powell (Toronto Raptors) and Jonah Bolden (Philadelphia 76ers) will see their respective teams square off in a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday (4 p.m., PT, televised on TNT). In addition, former UCLA center Thomas Welsh is on the roster of the Denver Nuggets but has been inactive in the postseason. Denver hosts the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday in another Game 7 showdown (12:30 p.m., PT, televised on ABC).
 
During the regular season, Looney averaged 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He played in 80 of Golden State's 82 regular-season contests and made 24 starts.
 
A second-team All-Pac-12 performer during his lone season at UCLA, Looney averaged 11.6 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds per game in 36 games (36 starts) in 2014-15. He helped the Bruins compile a 22-14 overall record and an 11-7 Pac-12 mark as the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Looney was teammates that year with Powell (who was a senior), Bolden (who was a freshman) and Welsh (who was a freshman).
 
With the NBA's Western Conference Finals set to begin on Tuesday, May 14, Looney could become just the second former UCLA player ever to have led his NBA squad to three consecutive NBA Finals titles. He was part of Golden State's title-winning teams in 2017 and 2018. The late Willie Naulls played for three consecutive NBA championship team with the Boston Celtics in 1964, 1965 and 1966.
 
In addition to Looney, UCLA's program is also represented with Golden State by Bob Myers, the organization's President of Basketball Operations/General Manager. Myers played for UCLA from 1995-98. He has been an integral member of Golden State's front office since joining the organization in 2011.
 
The upcoming best-of-seven series between the Golden State Warriors and either Denver Nuggets or Portland Trail Blazers will begin Tuesday at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Games 1 and 2 are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, in Oakland. The Western Conference Finals will be nationally televised on ESPN.