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UCLA Basketball: The 10 best men’s basketball players since 2000

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 29: Norman Powell #4 of the UCLA Bruins celebrates after the game against the Utah Utes at Pauley Pavilion on January 29, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. UCLA won 69-59. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 29: Norman Powell #4 of the UCLA Bruins celebrates after the game against the Utah Utes at Pauley Pavilion on January 29, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. UCLA won 69-59. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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SAN ANTONIO – APRIL 04: Kevin Love #42 of the UCLA Bruins looks on during practice for the NCAA Men’s Final Four at the Alamodome on April 4, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO – APRIL 04: Kevin Love #42 of the UCLA Bruins looks on during practice for the NCAA Men’s Final Four at the Alamodome on April 4, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

1. Kevin Love (2007-08)

Career Stats: 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.7 spg, FG% .559

The rumor is that when Kevin Love said he was committing to the UCLA basketball team, Ben Howland started to cry. UCLA had been on Love for a while and though it was believed he was going to in-state Oregon, the Bruins were the ones to win his services.

This was a huge get for the Bruins, literally. Love was a slightly bigger player than the trimmed down athlete we now see at Cleveland. Video of him ripping down rims Shaq-style made Howland salivate.

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UCLA had gone to two Final Fours in the previous two seasons without any hardware to show for it. With Howland landing this five-star prospect, that looked like it was going to change. In the previous two seasons, UCLA had made it to the Final Four with lesser talent. Howland was trying to shift that paradigm and grab a few top-tier players. Well this was the start of that.

Love was an all-around basketball machine. His big body made him hard to stop under the rim, whether he was making baskets or pulling down rebounds, but he also possessed a unique quality, an art form that had not been seen for a long time in Westwood. With his keen vision and strong arms, he was able to make court-length outlet passes which sparked UCLA’s transition game.

The Bruins already had the talent to turn defense into offense, but with Love, points came in droves. In his only season in Westwood, Love averaged 17.5 points per game, 10.6 rebounds and had a .559 field goal percentage. To say he was unstoppable was an understatement. He also had that killer instinct. In UCLA’s only game at Oregon that year, the local fans that felt spurned by his decision let him have it (some with a little too much vulgarity). Love responded with 26 points and 18 rebounds in an 80-75 UCLA victory.

Love made quite the difference as UCLA won the Pac-12, went 35-4 and returned to the Final Four for an unprecedented third time in a row, the first time that has happened at UCLA since John Wooden was in charge. Unfortunately, that is where it ended. The Bruins could not win a championship with Love, but they accomplished a lot in that time.

Go Joe Bruin takes a look at 10 of the best UCLA basketball players to where the blue and gold since the year 2000.

Love was selected 5th overall during the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He would spend six years there until he found a new home with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. With the help of LeBron James, Love won his first NBA title in 2016.