At 10:08 p.m. on Tuesday, Kevin Love tweeted to thank Jimmy Kimmel for a great time. They'd just finished filming Kimmel's show, which aired later that night, and a quick tweet was routine for the Minnesota Timberwolves forward.
Love isn't too frequent of a tweeter – one message every day or so – but on Kimmel's show Tuesday, he claimed to be one of the earliest users of the social media site.
In June 2009, Love's then-coach, Kevin McHale, called him during the offseason to tell him that he wouldn't be returning as the Timberwolves head coach. Love had just started using social media frequently; he was about five or six months into his "Twitter life." So of course, his first inclination was to post the news on the social media site. "Today is a sad day ... Kevin McHale will NOT be back as head coach this season," Love tweeted.
"I thought, oh man, I'm going to put this on Twitter, didn't know any better," Love said. "It actually kind of broke ground, broke news."
After that, the team started to realize that it needed to put rules in place about what players could tweet. Love said he quickly realized he was in a position of power, and he left the site for about two years. Even now that he's rejoined Twitter, his messages are confined to far less controversial and newsworthy topics.
"We have to safe about what they say, or Mr. Stern's going to come knocking on our door with a pink slip or slip that's going to give us a pretty hefty fine," Love said.
On June 9, Love tweeted: "I wish there was a way all teams could lose in the end BUT being a true basketball fan this will be a fun Finals to watch." He touched upon that topic again during Kimmel's segment, which aired after Miami defeated Oklahoma City, 104-98, to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Once again, Love said that he wasn't partial to either team and wished that both would lose, but he admitted that he had to pull for the Thunder because his college roommate at UCLA, Russell Westbrook, is a point guard on that team.
Love discussed his living arrangements with Westbrook, the queen-sized or double beds that the 6-foot-10 (Love) and 6-foot-3 (Westbrook) could barely fit in. He also talked about the genesis of Westbrook's nerd-chic fashion sense, which has often been mocked during this year's postseason.
"For Russell, he always said he knew how to dress, but now, he's kind of gone left field," Love said. "Very unorthodox."
Love added that Westbrook has taken hits from the media since last year's playoffs and has been subjected to much criticism of his shot selection. He's been accused of taking too many of the Thunder's shots, some at Kevin Durant's expense, and the clothing choices, Love said, might just be a way to rib and taunt those who criticize him.
That hypothesis was taped hours before the end of Westbrook's 43-point night, during which he was the Thunder's best hope at a Game 4 win until a last-second fouling error. Still, Westbrook carried his team on Tuesday, perhaps silencing some of the critics.
Yet somehow, it's hard to imagine he'll start dressing like Love – classic, in a navy jacket, checked shirt and tie on Kimmel – anytime soon.
Apart from his discussions of the NBA, Love also talked about his childhood as the nephew of a Beach Boy and his utter lack of musical talent. A few of his father's basketball cards – Stan Love played in the NBA for four years – were produced, his creative facial hair making his son's midseason caveman beard look downright uninspired. Love also seemed confident that he'd make the Olympic team, adding that the squad always needs its "token white guy."
If that's the case, we'll be able to see Love again on television in less than two months, albeit with fewer jokes and a decidedly less GQ look.
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