Who is Kevin Love's uncle? Exploring his relationship with Mike Love

Kevin Love was born in Santa Monica, California on Sept. 7, 1988 to Stan and Karen Love. The NBA star's uncle is Mike Love, who is a founding member of The Beach Boys.

Mike formed The Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson in 1961. The American rock band had their first hit "Surfin' U.S.A.' in 1963. They remained popular despite the arrival of The Beattles at the time.

The Beach Boys remain active to this day with a current lineup consisting of Mike, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston. Mike remained one of the band's vocalists while also being their top lyricist.

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Kevin Love's relationship with his famous uncle

Kevin Love during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers

Kevin Love never realized how popular his uncle Mike Love and The Beach Boys were until he began playing college basketball for UCLA in 2007. The five-time NBA All-Star told Sports Illustrated in 2016 how he grew up around his uncle and never thought that their band was known around the world.

"He was always Uncle Mike to me," Love said. "I actually just saw him at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. He performed a six-song set and did a signing for his new book. Anyhow, I always loved The Beach Boys' music, but I never realized how big a deal it was until freshman orientation. Everyone was like, 'Oh cool, you play basketball, but your uncle is Mike Love of The Beach Boys.'

He added:

"That was definitely very cool for me because he was just part of the family, and I didn’t realize how famous and how far his reach is with his music. But Southern California is the epicenter of all things Beach Boys."

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Kevin Love's interesting take on white basketball players in NBA

Kevin Love playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Basketball runs in the family for Kevin Love. His father, Stan Love, played in the NBA for three different teams in four seasons, from 1971 to 1975. Kevin has become a successful player in the league, getting five All-Star nods and one NBA championship.

On the "Point Forward" podcast, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade shared Kevin's thoughts on white players in the NBA. Wade and Kevin were teammates with in Cleveland from 2019 until the latter's contract buyout midway through this season.

"If you're going to be successful in the NBA as a white guy, you kinda gotta be an a**hole," Wade said.