Cleveland Cavaliers announce they will retire Kevin Love’s jersey

Tonight, Kevin Love played his first NBA game in Cleveland since February 2023. It began with a tribute video and ended with an announcement that Love would eventually have his jersey retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I look in the mirror and think, where’d the time go?” said Love after the game. “Eight and a half great years in Cleveland. My number will, because I’ve been told, will eventually go up there next to Nick Gilbert.”

Love played nine seasons with the Cavaliers, joining the franchise in 2014. He wasn’t the biggest addition of that summer (LeBron James took the crown) but he was certainly an important one. Love gave up his All-NBA status in Minnesota to become the third banana next to James and Kyrie Irving.

This transition wasn’t easy. There were plenty of growing pains along the way. but Love’s sacrifice eventually led to the first championship in franchise history. Through the ups and downs, Love averaged 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds while adding two more All-Star Games to his resume in Cleveland.

Love’s fit next to the big three was seamless, at times. His ability to clean the glass and stretch the floor made him a modern big to pair with the two. Of course, Love slinging outlet passes to a sprinting James never got old, either.

Once James and Irving left, it was Love who stood as the final member of the Big Three. While he was often visibly frustrated with the rebuilding process — Love blossomed into the savvy veteran once Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen began to make their rise. Love ended as a Sixth Man of the Year finalist in his last full season with the Cavs.

The ending of this marriage wasn’t pretty. Love’s production tanked as did his playing time. By February of the 2022-23 season, a buyout was necessary. Love joined the Miami Heat and soared to another NBA Finals appearance. But since then, the Cavs have catapulted into a 52-10 record while Love finds himself at the tail end of a defunct Miami squad.

It’s no surprise Love’s jersey will be retired. One would imagine Kyrie Irving and potentially even Tristan Thompson will join him. Of course, James will have a jersey and statue, at some point. But even now, it’s important not to overlook the contributions Love gave to Cleveland. He was a joy to watch for nine seasons and without his defensive stop, there would be no championship banner for him to hang next to.

“We [the 2016 team] have a group chat that we speak to every single day. You say the word brotherhood? You win together. That’s what it creates,” said Love. “And what it meant to the city after 52 years without having a major sports team win a championship. It’s tough to put into words what that means to all of us — and we’re coming up on 10 years now. It’s just crazy.”