The New Orleans Pelicans have suffered a devastating hit to their frontcourt with Kevon Looney going down with a knee injury.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Pelicans announced that Looney will be re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks, after suffering what was described as a "proximal tibiofibular ligament sprain in his left knee."
Reportedly, the injury took place in an exhibition game against the South East Melbourne Phoenix, when the Pelicans were the first NBA team to play a preseason game in Australia.
With this injury, it puts Looney in a position where he rarely finds himself. Earlier in his career, he went through a 290 consecutive game streak that ended in March 2024. In the 2024-25 season, he saw the floor in 76 games.
Given that the Pelicans' regular season begins on October 22 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Looney will not be able to suit up until at earliest late November.
A proximal tibiofibular ligament sprain is a very uncommon injury that you rarely hear about. In layman's terms, there's a little joint in the knee that helps connect the shin bone and the fibula.
Ultimately when the proximal tibiofibular joint loses stability, the joint can pop out of place every once in a while.
This is what seems to be for Looney. The best course of action for him is to endure a lot of rest, and light exercises. Once that re-evaluation period concludes, doctors would then determine whether or not he would need surgery to fix it.
It's a brutal blow to the Pelicans who brought in Looney as a veteran presence in the frontcourt. With a promising young center in Yves Missi, Looney, who was a key part to the Golden State Warriors dynasty, was expected to be a mentor of some sort.
Missi, now is placed in a starter center role, something that he did 67 times last season, making the 2024-25 All Rookie team.
Injuries and the Pelicans seem to go hand in hand. Ever since Zion Williamson has been with the team, he's missed 221 regular season games out of a possible 411.
Former Pelican, and current Atlanta Hawk, Dyson Daniels has even said that the franchise is "cursed" with how many injuries the team has endured.
New Orleans plays one more preseason game on October 16 against the Orlando Magic.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.