Watch: Kevin Love Explains How He Learned LeBron James Was Leaving Cavaliers
At Sports Illustrated's Fashionable 50 red carpet Thursday, Kevin Love stopped for a second to chat with Rohan Nadkarni and Charlotte Wilder, and naturally, the conversation swayed from fashion into basketball since Love still plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and LeBron James doesn't.
Love explained how he was out with his friends in the Hamptons when the announcement was made that James would sign a four-year, $153 million contract with the Lakers, and after seeing the news, he had to excuse himself from his group to make some calls.
He added that later that day he texted James to wish him well with his new team.
Love went on to elaborate about what it is like now that James and former teammate Kyrie Irving are both no longer with him in Cleveland.
"I always thought it was going to be like, especially with guys like Richard Jefferson, we had James Jones, we had Channing Frye, guys like that. Everybody's seen The Sandlot? It's like at the very end where they all start to just poof, like going away. And they all start just fading off into the darkness, and then it's just Hercules the dog and then Benny the Jet," Love said.
Love went on to clarify that if he is any of The Sandlot characters, it would be Squints, noting that he was the character in the movie that went after Wendy Peffercorn.
The five-time All-Star who was taken with the No. 5 pick in the 2008 draft also elaborated a bit on how his role will change yet again for the Cavaliers as he transitions into being the team's top option, a role he used to have back when he was with the Timberwolves when he started his career, but has not been tasked with since coming to Cleveland.
Through his 10-year career, Love is averaging 18.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 44.4% from the field and 37% from three.
