Before NBA stardom, Kevin Love was a heck of a Little League baseball player
Everyone knows that Kevin Love is a heck of a basketball player. The Timberwolves center is almost certainly the most consistent post man of his generation, a perennial all-star and Olympic champion who averages a double-double for Minnesota. He is a flat-out stud on the court.
That much is public knowledge. What many may not know, however, is that Love was once an equally talented baseball player, with some even raising the possibility that he could play multiple professional sports, like current Celtics GM Danny Ainge.
As brought to Prep Rally's attention by Larry Brown Sports, proof of Love's acumen on the diamond was offered up on Wednesday at Target Field, where he offered up the ceremonial first pitch before a Twins game in the style of a fastball he once harnessed at upwards of 90 miles-per-hour … as a freshman in high school.
As the photo at right from Love's Twitter account depicts even better than the video above, he clearly took his first pitch seriously.
Any pitcher who is dealing in the 90s at any point in their respective high school career is a legitimate talent, yet Love reportedly had even more baseball skills worth flaunting. As noted in a prior St. Paul Pioneer-Press story, ex-Lakers star Mychal Thompson once called Love "a Little League legend," after watching his sons play with Love as they all grew up together in Oregon.
Thompson claims that Love tossed perfect games from the mound and had a decent stick to go with his overpowering arm. For his part, the Timberwolves star told the Pioneer Press' Charley Walters that he might still be playing if he had grown up as a lefty, following in the footsteps of his baseball idol, Randy Johnson.
As for his first pitch offering at Target Field, Love showed that he's still hyper critical of his skills, even if he is a bit out of practice.
"I was a little outside, I was a little upset with myself." Love told MLB.com.
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