NBA legend Bob Love, best known for his nine seasons with the Chicago Bulls, has died at the age of 81 following a long battle with cancer, the team announced in a statement shared on its social media accounts Monday (November 18).
Love, whose No. 10 jersey was retired by the Bulls in January 1994, averaged 21.3 points and 6.8 rebounds during his nine seasons with the franchise among 11 total in the NBA.
“With his No. 10 jersey hanging in the United Center rafters, his on-court achievements are forever etched in history, but Bob’s impact transcended basketball,” the Bulls said in their statement. “He became an inspirational figure and a passionate community ambassador for the Bulls, dedicating himself to charitable causes and uplifting countless lives with his motivational speeches. We are profoundly grateful for his enduring contributions and legacy both on and off the court in Chicago.”
Love was selected by the Cincinnati Royals -- who would later relocate and rebrand as the Sacramento Kings -- at No. 33 overall in the fourth-round of the 1965 NBA Draft, but failed to make the team as a rookie, instead spending the 1965-66 season with the Eastern Basketball League's Trenton Colonials, averaging more than 25 points per game and winning the EBL Rookie of the year Award. The former Southern University standout made the Royals on his second attempt the following year and spent two seasons with the team largely in a reserve role before being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in their 1968 expansion draft and traded to the Bulls midway through the 1968-69 season.
Love was a three-time All-Star (1971-73), a two-time All-NBA Second Team selection (1971, 1972) and a three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection during his tenure with the Bulls. The Louisiana native also played for the New York Nets (1976-77) and Seattle SuperSonics (1977).