Ex-UCLA Basketball player Kevin Love donated a significant amount of money to the program to aid in the construction of a new training facility.
Back in 2007, I met a young Kevin Love who was attending a party for the Gatorade Player of the Year awardees. “Met” is of course a stretch; I was part of the party staff. I knew one thing then though: Love was a special player—at least, that’s what everyone kept saying.
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But when I met him, he didn’t act like the star he would eventually become. Instead, he was shy, soft-spoken, and well-mannered. Even if you didn’t know of him, it was hard to miss that he was a basketball player—not because Love could tower over most people, but because he carried himself a certain way.
It’s no surprise then to read that when Love first arrived at Westwood, teammate Russell Westbrook picked on him because of his style—or lack thereof. That’s one of the many things Love shared in his “Bruin Walk” article, published on The Player’s Tribune this morning.
This is for my Bruin family @uclaathleticshttps://t.co/AR8JjRFg4i
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) September 20, 2016
Love felt so strongly about his time at UCLA that he made a contribution to the construction of the Mo Ostin Basketball Center for UCLA Basketball. Within the facility, The Kevin Love Strength and Conditioning Center will be erected to benefit Bruins for years to come. Love’s donation matched an earlier contribution to the program by Westbrook.
Announcing the donation through The Player’s Tribune made sense for Love. After all, the Cleveland Cavaliers player only spent one season with UCLA Basketball. Reading just about the donation would give any reader pause as to why a one-and-done player would care so much about his former school.
“Bruin Walk”
In “Bruin Walk,” Love explained how in just one year at UCLA, he made enough memories to last a lifetime. He got to meet Coach John Wooden, play with some of the best in the game, and reach the Final Four.
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“UCLA will always be my home,” he said, as he described why his team was like a family to him. Love somehow fit decades into just one season of UCLA Basketball.
Love and Westbrook’s contributions to the program speak volumes about the Bruin legacy. Neither player spent a full collegiate career at UCLA, yet they value their experiences in Westwood to a great degree—in the millions, to be precise.
Whether that was Love’s intention or not, hopefully young recruits all around the country will hear the news and, at the very least, wonder about their own future at UCLA Basketball. Maybe they will want to come to Westwood to continue the legacy started by one of the greatest coaches of all time. Maybe.
In addition to showing his love to UCLA through his donation, Love will be making an appearance at the UCLA vs. Stanford game this Saturday, where he’ll be honored for his contribution.
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Thank you, Kevin Love, for your continued support of UCLA Basketball!