INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Kevin Love took the podium for the 12th media of his NBA career prepared to answer questions about a young team, bouncing back from injuries, and of course, trade rumors.
But it took all of two questions before the Cleveland Cavaliers forward was grinning ear to ear, recalling the offseason he spent traveling the world with his girlfriend, supermodel Kate Bock.
For those who may have been living under a rock -- or perhaps just don't follow Love and/or Bock on social media -- the couple spent the past five months globetrotting from Thailand to Vancouver to Aspen to Arizona and Wyoming. According to Love, his travel-heavy offseason was inspired by a quote from deceased celebrity chef and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain.
“I think it was just my curiosity. I try to be a sponge in my growth, whether it’s on or off the floor," Love said. "I’ve said the quote now a thousand times about Bourdain and that’s being relentlessly curious without fear of prejudice. And for me, I’ve tried to adopt that and live my life in that way and it’s been a lot of fun."
Asked for his highlight of the offseason, Love pointed to the people he met and the food he ate.
"Food in travel is a huge thing," the 5-time All-Star said.
But it was also clear that his tripe to Thailand stood out as an experience he won't be forgetting about any time soon.
"Definitely Thailand was the most, I would say, diverse," Love noted. "We got to go to the elephant sanctuary, we got to see the Big Buddha, we got to go to the Sunday Market, which I felt like I was on [Bourdain's TV show] Parts Unknown. So I got to somehow live that life and just soak it all in, so that was fun. I got to have a perfect balance between being a tourist and then just being able to relax."
That's not to say that Love's offseason adventures went off without a hitch.
As was documented on social media, Love and Bock's trip to Jackson, Wyoming in late-August was temporarily derailed when a rafting accident required a trip to the emergency room and stitches for Bock.
Recalling the incident on Monday, Love confirmed Bock is doing just fine. He also noted that it could have been avoidable had they not opted for a private tour.
"We didn't know that having extra people on your rafts actually weighs it down so you're able to go through the rapids," Love said. "So this happened to be the time where this particular rapid -- it's called "the Big Kahuna" -- was at its roughest time throughout the year. It was like a two-week span. So we just had the two of us and our guide on the raft. And I guess you surf the wave when you get down there because it pops you up if you don't have enough weight on it and the rapid comes back. It sent me up like I was 90 pounds."
But while his social media may have indicated otherwise, Love's offseason wasn't all about adventures and posing for pictures. In fact, in addition to his early morning workouts, the 31-year-old said that on-court improvement was at the very core of what some deemed the best offseason in all of basketball.
"In order to be my best self on the court, I have to find some semblance of balance," Love said. Who doesn’t love to travel? And after four years of going to the Finals, three years playing in the Finals, it felt like early on, ‘OK, I’m going to get most of my traveling out of the way.’
"And I’m sure what looked like 2-3 week trips were really only four or five days. I guess how myself and my girlfriend Kate and our dog lived those days, it must have felt that long. But it was a lot of fun to do."
