Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been an All-Star five times. Kevin won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He also won gold medals with the U.S. national team. These wins were at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2011, Love was named the NBA Most Improved Player. He also led the league in rebounding that year.

Kevin's father, Stan Love, was also an NBA player. Kevin was a top basketball prospect in high school. He played one year of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He helped them reach the Final Four in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Love was chosen as a First Team All-American. He was also voted player of the year in the Pac-12 Conference. He decided to enter the 2008 NBA draft early. The Memphis Grizzlies picked him fifth overall. On draft night, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After six seasons with Minnesota, Love joined the Cavaliers in 2014. He played in four straight NBA Finals with the team. They won a championship in 2016. Love faced several injuries from 2018 to 2021. In the 2021–22 season, he played a reserve role. He was almost named Sixth Man of the Year. In February 2023, he left the Cavaliers and joined the Miami Heat. He reached his fifth NBA Finals with the Heat.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Kevin Love was born on September 7, 1988, in Santa Monica, California. He grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He was childhood friends with future NBA star Klay Thompson. Kevin started playing basketball at a very young age. His father, Stan, taught him to shoot and handle the ball well.

Love played high school basketball for the Lake Oswego Lakers. In his sophomore year, he led his team to the state championship game. The Lakers lost that game. The next year, he helped Lake Oswego win the state championship. In his senior year, he averaged 33.9 points and 17 rebounds per game. He led his team to the state championship game for the third time. He finished his high school career as Oregon's all-time leading scorer. He scored 2,628 points. Kevin was also named the Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year.

College Career at UCLA

Love playing for UCLA in 2008

In July 2006, Love decided to play college basketball at UCLA. He chose UCLA over North Carolina. He even got special permission to wear number 42. This number was retired for UCLA legend Walt Hazzard. Love often sought advice from famous UCLA players like Bill Walton.

Some fans of the Oregon Ducks, his father's old team, were upset. They expected Love to play for Oregon. During a game at Oregon, some fans were very rude to Love and his family. This led to discussions about fan behavior in college basketball.

In the 2008 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament, UCLA won the championship. Love helped UCLA win the regular season conference title. They also earned a top seed in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Love led the Bruins to the Final Four. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Love received many awards. He was named consensus first-team All-American. He was also the Pac-10 Player of the Year. He led UCLA with 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He had 23 double-doubles.

Professional Career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2008–2014)

Starting in the NBA

On April 17, 2008, Love decided to enter the 2008 NBA draft. The Memphis Grizzlies picked him fifth overall. He was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. This trade involved eight players. Love played well in the 2008 NBA Summer League. He led all players in rebounding.

In his first NBA game, Love scored 12 points and had nine rebounds. The Timberwolves struggled early in the season. Their coach was fired. Kevin McHale became the new coach. Love and McHale became close. Love's playing time increased when teammate Al Jefferson got injured. Love was named NBA Rookie of the Month for March. He finished his first season ninth in the league in rebounding. He led all rookies in rebounds. Love also had 29 double-doubles, a team record for a rookie. He was named to the 2009 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Becoming an All-Star

Love playing in 2010

Love started the 2009–2010 season injured. He broke a bone in his left hand during a preseason game. He missed the first 18 games. He returned in December 2009. He made an immediate impact for the Timberwolves. Love was chosen to play in the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge. He finished the season as the NBA's best rebounder per 48 minutes.

Before the 2010–11 NBA season, the Timberwolves traded Al Jefferson. This meant more playing time for Love. On November 12, 2010, Love had a huge game against the New York Knicks. He scored 31 points and grabbed 31 rebounds. This is known as a "30–30" game. It was the most rebounds by a player in an NBA game since 1996. Love was the first player to have a 30–30 game since 1982.

On February 4, 2011, Love was chosen for his first NBA All-Star Game. He was averaging 21.4 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. On February 8, Love set a team record. He had his 38th straight double-double. This broke Kevin Garnett's record. On March 13, Love's double-double streak ended at 53 games. This was the longest streak since 1976.

Love led the NBA in rebounding. He averaged 15.2 rebounds per game. He won the NBA Most Improved Player Award. He became the first player since 1982 to average at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a season. Love also improved his three-point shooting. He became the new face of the Timberwolves team.

Injuries and Final Year in Minnesota

Love in 2012

Love signed a four-year contract extension in January 2012. He wanted a five-year deal, but the team did not offer it. Love started the 2011–12 season with 15 straight double-doubles. This was the first time since 1992. On February 25, Love won the Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend. He scored a career-high 51 points in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Love was named to the All-NBA second team.

In October 2012, Love broke bones in his right hand. He missed several weeks. He returned in November, scoring 34 points. But in January 2013, he broke his hand again. This injury required surgery. Love admitted his hand was still bothering him. He missed most of the 2012–13 season.

Love shooting a free throw in 2014

On February 22, 2014, Love recorded his first career triple-double. He had 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He set a Timberwolves record for most three-pointers in a season. He had two more triple-doubles that season. Love made NBA history in 2013–14. He was the first player to get 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, and 100 three-pointers in one season. He was again named to the All-NBA Second Team.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2014–2023)

Joining the Big Three and Winning a Championship

Love with the Cavaliers in 2014

On August 23, 2014, Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was a big three-team trade. He joined LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to form a "Big Three." Love helped the Cavaliers win many games. They finished as the second seed in their conference.

In his first playoff game, Love had 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cleveland swept their first series. But Love dislocated his left shoulder in Game 4. He missed the rest of the playoffs. Without Love, the Cavaliers reached the 2015 NBA Finals. They lost to the Golden State Warriors. In June 2015, Love signed a new contract with the Cavaliers.

Love screening for Kyrie Irving in 2016

On November 23, 2015, Love scored a season-high 34 points. The Cavaliers finished the regular season as the top team in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, Love played well. He helped the Cavaliers reach the NBA Finals. They faced the Golden State Warriors again.

Love struggled in some Finals games. He even missed Game 3 due to a concussion. The Cavaliers fell behind 3–1 in the series. But they made an amazing comeback! They won Games 5, 6, and 7. They became the first team to win the Finals after being down 3–1. Cleveland won the championship, ending a 52-year sports title drought. Many praised Love's defense on Stephen Curry in the final minutes of Game 7.

Later Years in Cleveland

On November 23, 2016, Love scored 40 points. He set an NBA record with 34 points in the first quarter. This was the second most points ever scored in a single quarter. In January 2017, Love was named an All-Star again. But he had knee surgery and missed the game. He returned in March.

In the 2017 playoffs, Love scored a playoff career-high 32 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals for the third straight year. They lost to the Warriors in five games.

Love in 2019

In October 2017, Love scored 15 points in the season opener. He hit a key three-pointer to win the game. On November 28, 2017, he scored 38 points against the Miami Heat. In December, he scored his 10,000th career point. In January 2018, Love fractured his left hand. He missed six weeks. He returned in March. He hit his 1,000th career three-pointer. Love helped the Cavaliers reach the NBA Finals again in 2018. They lost to the Warriors in four games.

After LeBron James left the Cavaliers in 2018, Love signed a new contract. He signed a four-year, $120 million extension. He played only four games before getting injured. He had surgery on his left foot. He missed 50 games. Love returned in February 2019. He scored a season-high 32 points later that month.

In the 2019–20 season, Love had five games with 30 or more points. He averaged 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds. In the 2020–21 season, Love suffered a calf injury. He missed many games. On May 12, 2021, he scored a season-high 30 points.

In the 2021–22 season, Love became a reserve player. This was his first time coming off the bench in a long time. He was the runner-up for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. He averaged 13.6 points per game. On February 18, 2023, Love and the Cavaliers agreed to end his contract. He became a free agent.

Miami Heat (2023–present)

Love in 2022

On February 20, 2023, Love signed with the Miami Heat. He made his Heat debut on February 24. With the Heat, Love reached his fifth NBA Finals. However, the Heat lost the Finals in 5 games to the Denver Nuggets. Love re-signed with the Heat in July 2023 and again in July 2024.

National Team Career

Love was part of the U.S. national team. They won the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Love also made the 2012 Olympic team. The team went undefeated and won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Love later withdrew from the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup team. He also withdrew from the 2020 Olympic team. He said he was not fully recovered from a calf injury.

Personal Life

Kevin Love has famous relatives. His uncle, Mike, is a founding member of The Beach Boys. Mike and Stan's cousins include Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Dennis Wilson. Kevin's middle name, Wesley, honors Wes Unseld. Unseld was a former basketball player and a family friend.

Love married Canadian model Kate Bock on June 25, 2022. They had their first child in June 2023.

In March 2018, Love shared his own struggles with mental health. He had been seeing a therapist after a panic attack. He wrote an article called "Everyone Is Going Through Something." In it, he said: "Mental health is an invisible thing, but it touches all of us." He wants to remind people that it's okay to talk about what you are going through.

In August 2018, Love continued to speak about mental health. He talked about his family's history of depression. He also shared his own experiences with anxiety. Love started the Kevin Love Fund. This fund helps people improve their physical and emotional well-being. He hopes to help over a billion people. In 2020, his fund gave $100,000 to support staff at the Cleveland Cavaliers' arena. He also donated to UCLA Athletics.

Media and Endorsements

Love has appeared in video games. He was on the cover of NCAA Basketball 09 in 2009. He has also been on TV shows. He appeared as himself on the Disney Channel show The Suite Life on Deck. He was also in the HBO series Entourage.

Love was in the 2008 documentary Gunnin' for That No. 1 Spot. He was also in the 2012 documentary My Life As An NBA Rookie. He was part of a popular internet ad campaign for Pepsi Max. He co-starred with Kyrie Irving as "Uncle Drew." These ads led to the movie Uncle Drew.

In 2011, Love signed an endorsement deal with the shoe company 361 Degrees. In 2016, he became a style ambassador for Banana Republic.

Awards and Honors

NBA

5× NBA All-Star
2× All-NBA Second Team
2016 NBA Championship

USA Basketball

2010 FIBA World Championship Gold Medal
2012 Olympic Gold Medal

NCAA

2008 First Team All-American
2008 Pac-10 Player of the Year
UCLA Hall of Fame (class of 2020)

High School

2006 Oregon State Championship
2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award

Images for kids

Love in 2011

Kevin Love facts for kids

Contents