Kevin Love

Kevin Love is a professional basketball player. He has played in the National Basketball Association since 2008 for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Miami Heat.

In 2016, he won the NBA Championship alongside the rest of the Cavaliers.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Kevin Wesley Love was born on September 7, 1988, in Santa Monica, California in the United States of America. He stands 203 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 114 kg. He is right-handed and he plays power forward and center.

He is the nephew of Mike Love, who is one of the founding members of The Beach Boys. His father Stan Love also played basketball professionally. He also has a number of famous relatives. He is good friends with Klay Thompson.

In 2022, he married model Kate Bock and they had their first child together in June 2023.

High School and College Career

He attended Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon. In 2007, he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and he was also named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year.

Later, he committed to play for the University of California Los Angeles and was there from 2007 to 2008. In that time, he was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year.

Professional Career

He turned pro in the 2008 NBA Draft and was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, chosen 5th overall.

Memphis then traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played for Minnesota from 2008 to 2014.

In the 2010 to 2011 Season, he became the 19th player to record a 30-30 game by scoring 31 points and 30 rebounds. He also set a franchise record of 38 career double-doubles. Love averaged 15.2 rebounds per game and became the leading rebounder in the NBA.

Tensions arose in the Timberwolves camp regarding contract agreements with Love but he still chose to remain with the team. He continued to score high during the season and defeated Kevin Durant in the Three-Point Shootout contest. Love finished sixth in the MVP voting and was selected for the All-NBA second team.

Also in 2011, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player.

He had a hand injury from 2012 to 2013 but went on to get 14 rebounds in a game after a few weeks. In the 2013 to 2014 Season, he had his first career triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also became the first player in the history of the league to achieve 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, and 100 3-pointers in just one season.

Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and he helped the team finish as the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. He was then injured in a match against the Boston Celtics and missed the rest of the season including the 2015 NBA Finals.

During the 2015 to 2016 Season, the Cavaliers were the first seed in the Easter Conference. The team advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with the help of Love’s season-high scoring. Eventually, they faced the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals where he suffered from a concussion. The Cavaliers went on to become the NBA Finals Champion.

In the 2016 to 2017 Season, he was instrumental in helping the Cavaliers in their third straight bid to win the Eastern Conference series. They went on to the 2017 NBA Finals but lost to the Golden State Warriors.

In the following season, he shot critical points and continued with season-best scoring. He also recorded his 400th career double-double and 1,000th career three-pointer. The Cavaliers went on to the NBA Finals but they eventually lost to the Warriors again.

In 2023, he signed with the Miami Heat.

Career Highlights

• 2016 - NBA champion
• 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018 - NBA All-Star
• 2012, 2014 - All-NBA Second Team
• 2011 - NBA Most Improved Player
• 2009 - NBA All-Rookie Second Team
• 2012 - NBA Three-Point Contest champion
• 2011 - NBA rebounding leader
• 2008 - Consensus first-team All-American
• 2008 - Pac-10 Player of the Year
• 2008 - First-team All-Pac-10
• 2007 - Naismith Prep Player of the Year
• 2007 - Gatorade National Player of the Year
• 2006, 2007 - First-team Parade All-American

Medal record, men's basketball, representing the United States

• Gold - 2012 Olympic Games London
• Gold - 2010 FIBA World Championship Turkey