Unfortunate news hit the NBA community on Monday. Eleven-year NBA veteran and Chicago Bulls legend Bob Love passed away at the age of 81. The 6-foot-8 forward went through a lengthy battle with cancer.
Chicago Bulls Legend Bob Love Passes Away At Age Of 81
Bob Love Was A Chicago Bulls Great
Early on in the 1968-69 season, Love was traded by the Milwaukee Bucks to the Bulls. He remained with Chicago until November of 1976. Altogether, Love played seven full seasons with the Bulls and parts of two others.
After not making much of a mark in the league, Love started to become an impactful player in his first full season with the Bulls in 1969-70. That began a stretch of six-straight seasons in which Love averaged more than 20 points. He received MVP votes after all six years with a career-best sixth-place finish coming in 1971-72. Love played in three-straight All-Star Games from 1971-73.
Love saw himself receive end-of-season honors due to his play with Chicago. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1970-71 and 1971-72. Love proved to be a wonderful player on both ends as he also made the All-Defensive Second Team three times (1971-72, 1973-74, and 1974-75).
Altogether, Love appeared in 592 career regular season games for the Bulls. He posted averages of 21.3 points and 6.7 rebounds with the club. Those numbers increased to 22.9 and 7.5 respectively in 47 postseason appearances with the Bulls. Chicago just missed the NBA Finals in the 1975 playoffs, losing in seven games to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Jerry Reinsdorf Issues Statement
Jerry Reinsdorf, the Bulls chairman, issued a statement regarding the loss of Love.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Bob Love, a true Chicago Bulls legend and beloved human being. Bob is one of the original Bulls greats. During his nine seasons with the Bulls, Bob became a cornerstone of the franchise, and his tenacious defense set high standards for competition and toughness. Toughness was not only a trademark of Bob’s play on the court, but also apparent in his resiliency throughout his basketball career. His impact on the Bulls and the countless lives he touched through his work in the community will keep him in our memories forever. We send our deepest condolences to Bob’s wife, Emily, and his entire family.”
The Bulls did their best to honor Love’s legacy as they defeated the Detroit Pistons 122-112 on Monday.
Jersey Retired By Team In 1994
It was in 1994 that the Bulls honored Love in ultimate fashion. The franchise had a jersey retirement ceremony that year and retired his #10 from team use. Love became just the second Chicago player to have his jersey retired after Jerry Sloan. The Bulls have since also retired the numbers of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Love still has his name near the top of the Bulls all-time leaderboard in numerous categories. He currently sits third in franchise history with 12,623 points, second with 2,727 made free-throws, sixth with 22,073 minutes played, eighth with 592 games, and 10th with 3,998 rebounds.
While Love spent the majority of his career with the Bulls, he also played for the Cincinnati Royals, Bucks, New York Nets, and Seattle SuperSonics. Love played collegiately for Southern, and the school later retired his #41 jersey.
