"I told you mother******": Kevin Love recalls epic Kobe Bryant story about manifesting his 4th All-Star Game MVP in Los Angeles

In 2011, Kevin Love got to witness the competitive nature of Kobe Bryant first hand. The Miami Heat veteran recently opened up on the encouter he had with Bryant during an All-Star game.

In an interaction with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Kevin Love spoke about playing with Kobe on the 2011 All-Star team. Before the game started, Kobe explained to Love that he wanted to win MVP and lead the game in rebounding. It's rare for players to take the All-Star game so seriously, but that ws just the kind of person Kobe was.

After the game, the two were seen laughing because Kobe did everything he said he was going to do.

"He said, ‘I’m going to be the MVP, and I’m going to lead the game in rebounding,’" Love said. "Then he goes out and does it. There’s a picture of me hugging him. I’m hugging him and then smiling because he told me, “I told you mother******!”

Kobe ended the game with 37 points and 13 rebounds en route securing the MVP honors. The closest to taking his rebounding crown was LeBron James with 12.

This would be the fourth and final time Kobe took home All-Star MVP. He also took home this award in 2002, 2007 and 2009.

How did Kevin Love perform in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game?

Looking back, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Love had very different expeirences at the 2011 NBA All-Star game. While the LA Lakers star was out securing the MVP award, Love, a young forward, was barely getting action in the game.

Kobe logged just over 29 minutes in that game, second most on the team, behind Kevin Durant. As for Kevin Love, he and Tim Duncan had the least amount of time played for the Western Conference team. Love finished the game two points, four rebounds and one assist off the bench.

This minimal amount of playing time likely had to do with where he was at in his career at the moment. Love was only 22 in 2011, and that year was the first time he was named an All-Star. The sharpshooting big man had come into his own with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being drafted No. 5 overall.

Along with being named an All-Star, Love would go on to secure the only rebounding title of his career that season. He ended the 2011 campaign with averages of 20.2 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Love would go on to be named an All-Star four more times in his career. The last instance came in 2018 when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. These days, Love is helping the Miami Heat in their quest for an NBA championship.