Kevin Love (basketball)

Infobox NBA Player
name = Kevin Love

---

|thumb|Kevin Love
position = Power forward/Center
height_ft = 6
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 255
league = NBA
team = Minnesota Timberwolves
number = 42
nationality = American
birth_date = birth date and age|1988|9|7
birth_place = Santa Monica, California
highschool = Lake Oswego, Oregon
college = UCLA
draft = 5th overall
draft_year = 2008
draft_team = Memphis Grizzlies
career_start = 2008
former_teams =
awards =

Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7 1988) is an American player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. He signed with Minnesota on July 11, 2008. [ [http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/wolves_sign_love_080711.html Minnesota Signs Kevin Love] ] Love played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins.

Early life

The son of Karen Love and 1970s NBA forward Stan Love, Kevin Love was born in Santa Monica, California in 1988, and moved with his family to Oregon at an early age.

High school career

He attended Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where he was ranked as one of the top players in the nation from the class of 2007. [See Class of 2007 rankings by [http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&cfg=bb&c=4&pid=88&yr=2007 Scout.com] and [http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1611 Rivals.com] .] As a sophomore, he led Lake Oswego to the 2005 Oregon state high school basketball championship game, but the team lost to Jesuit High School 57-53.cite web|title =OSAA Boy's Basketball State Champions| publisher=Oregon School Activities Association| url =http://www.osaa.org/basketball/records/boyschamps.pdf| accessdate =2007-04-27 ] That summer, Love was the center of controversy when Nike removed him from its Portland Elite Legends AAU team because he had chosen to participate in the Reebok ABCD Camp against other top recruits such as Greg Oden.cite news| last =Winn| first =Luke| title =Love, basketball and business| work =SI.com| date =July 18, 2005| url =http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/luke_winn/07/18/inside.cbb/index.html| accessdate =2007-03-20] Love went on to play for the Southern California All-Stars, who compiled an unprecedented 45-0 record with Love, who garnered 4 MVP awards along the way.

In 2006, Love and the Lakers returned to the Oregon state championship, winning 59-57 over South Medford and fellow star recruit Kyle Singler. The two teams met again for the 2007 championship, but this time, Singler and South Medford defeated Lake Oswego 58-54.cite news| last =Smith| first =Jeff| coauthors=Freeman, Joe|title =It's Panthers' turn| work =The Oregonian| date =March 11, 2007| url =http://www.oregonlive.com/prepboysbasketball/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1173599713127490.xml&coll=7| accessdate =2007-03-11 ] In that game, Love had 37 points and 15 rebounds, and finished his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in Oregon boys' basketball history with 2,628 points, despite missing half his sophomore season. The previous career scoring record had stood for 50 years. Earlier that year in a game against Putnam High School, Love shattered the backboard on a breakaway dunk. [youtube|OZpljX-jnFk|Kevin Love breaks backboard]

UCLA

In July 2006, Love verbally committed to play college basketball at UCLA.cite news| last =Freeman| first =Joe| title =And the winner is...| work =The Oregonian| date =July 26, 2006| url =http://www.oregonlive.com/prepboysbasketball/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/115388433266250.xml&coll=7| accessdate =2007-01-19 ] Love, who has worn number 42 for a majority of his basketball career, received permission from Walt Hazzard to wear the same number with UCLA.cite news| last =Parikh| first =Sagar| title =Hazzard to give up number| work =The Daily Bruin| date =April 6, 2006| url =http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2006/apr/06/success-attracts-new-players/| accessdate =2007-02-21 ] UCLA retired Hazzard's number 42 in 1996. Since arriving at UCLA, Love has also regularly sought out retired Bruins coaching legend John Wooden for advice and retired Hall of Fame center Bill Walton.cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=3073615&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1 |title=Love reaches out to the Wizard for advice, history |first=Andy |last=Katz |authorlink=Andy Katz |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2007-10-22 |accessdate=2007-10-22]

Love's presence at UCLA has brought animosity from fans of the University of Oregon, his father's alma mater, where it was expected he would play. Prior to a game at Oregon, Duck fans obtained Love's cell phone number and left obscene messages as well as death threats; the fans also subjected Love's family to obscenities and threw garbage at them during the game. This event, along with similar events directed at other players, has prompted a discussion of whether abuse by college basketball fans is becoming too extreme.cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/sioncampus/02/26/abusive.fans0303/index.html|title=Over the Top|last=Wahl|first=Greg|date=February 26 2008|accessdate=2008-03-05|work=Sports Illustrated]

At the end of the 2007-2008 regular season, Love was named a first-team All-American [ [http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-uclanotes1apr01,1,4216204.story] "UCLA freshman center Kevin Love was named a first-team All-American today by the Associated Press..."] and Pac-10 freshman of the year and player of the year. [http://www.pac-10.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031008aal.html This Week in Pac-10 Men's Basketball] . Pacific 10 Conference, March 10, 2008] He was named to the all Pac-10 team as well as the all Pac-10 freshman team. He helped lead UCLA to the regular season Pacific 10 conference championship, as well as the conference tournament championship and a #1 seed in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In the 2008 Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, the Bruins defeated the USC Trojans, featuring O. J. Mayo, in the semi-finals. Both Mayo and Love were nominated to the All Pac-10 tournament team. Love helped the Bruins to the Final Four of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, where they lost to the Memphis Tigers.

At an April 17 2008 press conference, he announced his intention to leave UCLA and enter the 2008 NBA Draft.cite news|title=Love headed to the NBA|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/expected-game-made-2020335-thursday-ucla|work=Orange County Register|last=Kuwada|first=Robert|date=2008-04-17|accessdate=2008-04-17]

Professional

He was drafted fifth in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Following the draft he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an 8 player trade which included O. J. Mayo going to Memphis. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/news/story?id=3463045 "Mayo heads to Memphis, Love to Minnesota"] , "ESPN.com" June 27, 2007] In his first career NBA Summer League game against the Dallas Mavericks, Love had 18 points and 13 rebounds and in his second game against the Los Angeles Lakers he had 18 points and 17 rebounds.

Personal

Love's father Stan is the brother of Beach Boys' singer Mike Love, and the first cousin of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson. His aunt is Kathleen McCartney Hearst, who won the women's Ironman Triathlon in February 1982 and is a member of the U.S. Triathlon Hall of Fame. He has an older brother, Collin, and a younger sister, Emily.cite web|url=http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/love_kevin00.html|title=Player Bio: Kevin Love|accessdate=2007-10-03|publisher=UCLABruins.com]

Love's middle name, Wesley, is in honor of Wes Unseld, the former Washington Bullets forward and the Loves' family friend. [cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2008-02-08-2914005513_x.htm|title=Kevin Love's old-school game, maturity make him a college throwback at UCLA|fist=Beth|last=Harris|publisher=USAToday.com|date=2008-02-09]

Love was also picked to be on the front cover for NCAA Basketball 09. [cite news|url=http://guttylittlebruins.com/ucla-basketball/kevin-love-to-be-on-the-cover-of-ncaa-march-madness-2009/651/|title=Kevin Love to be on the cover of NCAA March Madness 2009|fist=Black|last=Jack|publisher=GuttyLittleBruins.com|date=2008-08-10]

Awards

College

*2008 State Farm Second Team All-America
*2008 [http://www.collegeinsider.com Collegeinsider.com] National Most Valuable Player of the Year
*2008 [http://www.collegeinsider.com Collegeinsider.com] All-America Team
*2008 Associated Press First Team All-America
*2008 NCAA tournament West Regional's Most Outstanding Player
*2008 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
*2008 Pac-10 Player of the Year
*2008 All Pac-10 team
*2008 All Pac-10 freshman team
*2008 ESPN All-America First Team
*2008 Sporting News All-America First Team
*2008 Sports Illustrated First Team
*2008 USBWA: All America First Team, District IX Player of the Year, as well as being named to the All-District team and nominated for the Oscar Robertson Trophy

High school

*2007 Most Valuable Player Award at the Reebok Invitational
*2007 Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year
*2007 Parade Magazine Player of the Year
*2007 McDonald's National Prep Player of the Year
*2007 Gatorade National HS Basketball Player of the Year
*2007 Naismith Male Prep Player of the Year
*2007 Oregon Player of the Year (tie with Kyle Singler)
*2007 Roundball Classic MVP
*2007 Les Schwab Tournament All Tournament Team
*2006 Les Schwab Tournament All Tournament Team
*2006 MVP Kingwood Classic
*2006 MVP Las Vegas Easter Classic
*2006 MVP Bob Gibbons Memorial Day Classic
*2006 MVP Bigtime Las Vegas Bigtime
*2006 Reebok ABCD Camp Player of the Week
*2006 Oregon Player of the Year
*2005 Oregon Player of the Year
*2005 Les Schwab Tournament All Tournament Team
*2005 Reebok ABCD Player of the Week
*2005 MVP, Kingwood Classic
*2005 MVP, New Orleans Memorial Day Classic
*2004 MVP, Les Schwab Classic
*2004 Les Schwab Tournament All Tournament Team
* No. 1 rated senior by ESPN (Class of 2007)
* No. 1 rated senior by Bob Gibbons (Class of 2007)
* No. 1 rated senior by Van Coleman/Hoopmasters (Class of 2007)

References