What happened to Kevin Love? This question would have run rampant across the Miami Heat fanbase as an updated Injury Report started making its rounds on the internet. After all, the forward was declared out of the upcoming Game 4, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, of the ongoing playoff series. The Cavs being just one win away from heading to the Conference Semi-Finals for the 2nd consecutive year, one had to speculate on what could have been so important that Love had to miss the crucial matchup? Well, fans now know the reason.

Kevin Love recently took to his official Instagram account, revealing that his father has passed away. Stanley Love himself was once a professional basketball player, who divided his NBA tenure (1971-1975) between the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards), the Los Angeles Lakers, and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Heat player did not reveal the disease due to which his father passed. However, he paid tribute to the former player by writing, “Dad, you fought for a long time. The hardest stretch being these past 6 months. The most painful to witness being these last few weeks. And even at the end as you continued to deteriorate – I still saw you as a Giant. My Protector. My first Hero.” Influenced by love, several others have now joined in to send their love.

Kevin and Stanley Love did not always have a good relationship. As the Miami Heat player himself highlighted in the post, “Over the years my Dad and I had our differences. I mourn the times I felt angry and isolated – my heart weighs heavy knowing we lost that time and can’t get it back. But our division led to me finding myself”. Fortunately, whatever differences lay between father and son were resolved by the time of his passing. Now, as he remembers his father, the 36-year-old would only be reminiscing on the good times they shared.

Kevin Love last played for the Miami Heat a little after mid-March. Under normal circumstances, his absence would not have affected the Heat squad that much, since Love had moved into a reserve role over the last few seasons. He appeared in 23 games for Miami, and averaged a career-low 5.3 points in 10.9 minutes per game. However, after Jimmy Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors back in February, even reserve players were needed to give the Heat an edge. Then again, the front office would have understood the reason for Love’s absence, and knew that he was needed off the court more than on it.

NBA fans and personalities unite to pay tribute to Kevin Love’s father

American Sports Photographer Andrew D. Bernstein was amongst the first people to react to Kevin Love’s post in the comments section. He wrote “So sorry Kevin. I too had a complicated history with my Dad. We found a way forward. He taught me some important lessons just as yours did. My deepest condolences to you and your family. 🙏”.

Andrew D. Bernstein has kept covering Kevin Love from time to time. Several of the player’s photos available on the NBA Photo Store have been taken by this particular individual only. After all, being the longest tenured NBA league photographer, and official team photographer for the Lakers and Clippers, Bernstein has put Love on the focus of his lens (pun intended) throughout the power forward/center’s 17-year long NBA career.

Amongst the other NBA personalities to send their love and support was Love’s former teammate Isaiah Thomas. He wrote, “I remember every time I stayed the weekend at your home your pops always made me feel welcomed and taking care of. Stay strong and prayers to you and the family 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾”.

During their tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers, there were initially rumors of a rift between Isaiah Thomas and Kevin Love. The same occurred back in January 2018. The Cavaliers were 4-7 since Thomas was activated, and 4-5 with him in the lineup. Within that period, defense had reportedly taken a hit. Things worsened after reports came of a team meeting in which several Cavs players, including Thomas, called out Kevin Love for missing most of the OKC game, which the team lost by a score of 148-124, and a subsequent practice, due to an illness.

Fortunately, Thomas himself later clarified that things had been blown out of proportion, stating, “So those reports, whoever is saying that, there’s no bad blood between me and Kevin Love. We go back to fifth and sixth grade. I asked him a question where he was and it was never clarified. And that’s all it was”. If bad blood continued to exist, then Thomas would not have written what he did.

Nina Westbrook, wife of Denver Nuggets star Russell Westbrook, wrote, “We’re here for you. 🤍”. Simple words, but ones which nevertheless carry a deep meaning. Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook have never been on the same team together in the NBA. However, they were teammates at UCLA. Furthermore, they were part of the same 2008 Draft Class, with Westbrook going as the 4th overall pick while Love was the 5th. Even as on-court rivals, the duo continued to maintain a friendship based on mutual respect.

Former Sacramento Kings assistant coach Nancy Lieberman felt touched by what the Heat player wrote in the caption. She responded by saying, “Kev, those are some of the deepest words that I have heard. I’m so grateful that you made amends with your dad. ❤️🙏”. Love admitted to the differences between him and his father, and honestly said that his father was “imperfect”. At the same time, however, he wrote that “we are a successful story of father and son”. He “undoubtedly” considered Stan to be his “greatest teacher”.

Overall, the majority of reactions united in giving their love to Kevin Love and his father at the time of need. While the pain for the Heat star will not go away anytime soon, there is some consolation in knowing that he has the support of so many people on his side.