Player Bio

Kevin Wesley Love was born in 1988 in Santa Monica, California to Stan and Karen Love. His father played pro ball for the Bullets, Lakers, and Spurs over four seasons. Love grew up in Oregon and went to Lake Oswego High School, where he averaged an unbelievable 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds and was named Oregon Player of the Year three times as a four-year starter. During his senior campaign, he posted 33.9 points, 17.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 4.2 blocks per game as the team made it all the way to the state final. Love received many awards in 2007, including the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, the Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year, and USA Today High School Basketball Player of the Year. He has also represented Team USA and won gold at both the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In 2018, he founded the Kevin Love Fund to promote healthy living and provide resources to achieve physical and emotional well-being. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@kevinlove). The mid-2000s were heady days for UCLA. The team hosted a string of future NBA players and made back-to-back Finals Fours in 2007 and 2008. The 2007-08 season was headlined by the recruitment of Love. The Oregon native made his way south after being named Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year and a First-Team Parade All-American. The 6-foot-10 forward provided 17.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and helped the Bruins win the regular-season Pac-12 title, the Pac-12 Tournament championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA held its seed by winning four games before falling to Derrick Rose and Memphis in the Final Four. In the tournament, Love averaged 19.8 points and 10.6 rebounds and had three double-doubles, including 29 points and 14 rebounds in a Sweet 16 win over Western Kentucky. After one season in Los Angeles, Love made himself available for the 2008 NBA Draft. He was taken fifth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, and was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night for the third overall selection, O. J. Mayo, in an eight-player deal.