Kevon Looney, Running Rebels partner for Milwaukee unity events
Kevon Looney at youth basketball camp
MILWAUKEE - From dominating the court to building up the community, three-time NBA champion Kevon Looney calls Milwaukee home and hasn't forgotten his roots.
Local perspective:
Looney teamed up with Running Rebels, a youth and community engagement organization, for a weekend of unity. It began with "The Pop Out"on Wednesday, a networking event for business owners and people looking to invest.
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Friday marked the kickoff of a slew of events, including Looney's youth basketball camp. Both boys and girls, ages 8-14, interested in the sport had the chance to perfect their craft with training from a 10-year NBA veteran.
"It's always fun to come back to Milwaukee and do these camps, been doing it for 10 years now," said Looney. "I remember being a little kid coming to a camp – coming to Devin Harris' camp, going to Brandon Jennings' camp and going to other NBA players' camps – and having a great time.
"If I ever made it, I knew I would do the same thing and follow in their footsteps, so it's been a lot of fun to see the kids kinda grow up and fall in love with the game of basketball."
Looney's fourth annual "Unity Black Excellence Awards" and a comedy slam also take place Friday. The awards honor leaders who have helped create a sense of unity in the city.
The backstory:
Looney, 29, attended Milwaukee's Hamilton High School. He played college basketball at UCLA and was a first-round pick of the Golden State Warriors in 2015.
Over the course of 10 seasons with Golden State, Looney played 599 games (262 starts). He signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans in June.
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What's next:
The basketball camp continues on Saturday.
Looney will compete alongside other Milwaukee basketball "all-stars, professional players, and Rebel alumni" in Saturday's annual "Rebel Rumble" basketball game.
And next week, FOX6 Sports goes Beyond the Game to share more of Looney's journey and camp.
The Source: Information in this story is from the NBA and Running Rebels, as well as an interview with Looney.