Forward Kevon Looney, the Golden State Warriors’ first-round draft pick, had arthroscopic surgery on his right hip Thursday, the team announced.
Looney is expected to be sidelined four to six months, which means he probably will miss the first half of his rookie NBA season, if not more.
“Kevon has his entire NBA career ahead of him and we felt that, in consultation with our medical staff, Kevon and his representatives, it was best to address the issue now,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said in a statement. “He will have our complete support throughout the rehabilitation process and we are confident he will make a full recovery.”
The procedure was performed by renowned Steadman Clinic orthopedic surgeon and hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon at the Vail Valley Surgery Center in Vail, Colo.
Looney will begin rehabilitation immediately.
The 6-foot-9 Looney, 19, was selected by the Warriors with the 30th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
It is believed that he fell to the last pick in the first round because of a hip injury that he suffered early in his freshman year at UCLA and bothered him throughout his only season with the Bruins.
“I actually feel good right now,” Looney told CSNBayArea.com on July 26. “I had suffered a hip injury when I first got to UCLA. I played the whole season with it. I went through the workouts with it. I still can play now, I can play just fine. I’m not hurting right now. I’m gonna look at the doctors (and let them) tell me what they really want me to do, but this is an injury I had and I can actually play with, and do well with.”
In one season with UCLA, Looney averaged 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in 36 games. In six games with the Warriors’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in July, he averaged 9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 19.7 minutes.