CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 29: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder gets to the basket nest to Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena on January 29, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love, former UCLA Bruins teammates, led the school to the national semifinals in 2008. They’ll be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
Although Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook didn’t remain in college for four years, they made their time count. On Wednesday, they were recognized for their efforts with selections for induction into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. Love and Westbrook led the Bruins to a 35-4 record, the top seed in the West region of the NCAA Tournament and a Final Four appearance in 2008.
Love led the team in scoring as a freshman with 17.5 points on 55.9 percent shooting, including 61.1 percent from inside the arc and 35.4 percent from long range on 2.1 attempts. The 6-foot-10 center shot 76.7 percent from the free-throw line, corralled 10.6 boards and swatted 1.4 shots as well.
Love stepped up in the NCAA Tournament with 19.8 points on 57.1 percent shooting, including 66.7 percent from within the arc, in five games. The freshman center added 10.6 rebounds and four blocks as well.
Love’s best game of the tournament was also his best performance of the season. In the regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen), he netted 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including 9-of-12 from the charity stripe, snatched 14 rebounds, blocked four shots and collected four assists in an 88-78 win over Western Kentucky. It was one of Love’s 23 double-doubles in 39 games played.
Love’s accolades for his strong season included Pac-12 Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year as well as spots on the conference All-Tournament and All-Freshman teams.
The UCLA team featuring Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love was one of the best in school history.
Westbrook increased all his statistics from his freshman year. The 6-foot-3 sophomore started at point guard and averaged 12.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 39 games played, including 34 starts. Westbrook shot 46.5 percent from the field, including 49.7 percent from inside the arc, and 71.3 percent from the foul line.
Similar to Love, Westbrook stepped up in the NCAA Tournament with 13.4 points, 5.2 boards, four assists and two steals in five games. His best game of the tournament was his best performance of the season as well. In the national semifinals (Final Four), he recorded 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 8-of-16 from within the arc, against eventual champion Memphis.
Westbrook’s accolades included Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and spots on the All-Conference, All-Defense and All-Tournament teams.
Love and Westbrook were drafted back-to-back later that year: Westbrook fourth overall by the Seattle SuperSonics and Love fifth by the Memphis Grizzlies. Both players are enjoying illustrious NBA careers so far and show no sign of slowing down anytime soon.