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Westbrook roasted Love when they 1st met at UCLA

Lucy Nicholson / REUTERS

It wasn't love at first sight.

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook are both NBA studs, but it wasn't always that way.

When they met in 2007 on the UCLA campus, it didn't take long for Westbrook - always the trendsetter - to start making fun of Love, an admittedly unstylish freshman who sported a buzz cut.

"Hey man," Love recalled Westbrook saying. "Where'd you get that backpack?"

The 28-year-old power forward explained in his latest story for The Players' Tribune that he didn't even know Westbrook was making fun of him.

Before he could answer, the grinning sophomore guard asked, "Damn, how big are those Jordans?"

That's when Love knew he was going to like him.

They became roommates, bonding over their dreams of playing in the NBA while competing in everything from video games and cards to workouts and the temperature on the thermostat.

Now both eight-year veterans in the pros, they continue to compete against each other. Still, they remain pals, with Love attending Westbrook's wedding last summer (he married his college sweetheart).

They say best friends make fun of each other. Westbrook knew what he was doing.

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