Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James couldn’t help but take a shot at his former teammate as he praised the Cavs in an early-November press conference.
“You have kids who want to come in and play ball and a grandpa who looks over everyone in (forward) Kevin Love.”
Not even the 34-year-old forward thought he would stick around as long as he has with the Cavaliers.
“To be completely honest and transparent with you, no,” Kevin Love said when asked if he expected his lengthy Cavs tenure on Tuesday.
Through five head coaches, multiple general managers, the second return of a hometown hero and the franchise’s first NBA Championship in 2016, forward Kevin Love has seemingly always been the Cavs’ biggest constant.
Love has seemingly seen every up and down Cavaliers fans can recall from recent memory: He embraced forward LeBron James in an iconic photo in 2016 when James made good on his promise to give his hometown team their first NBA championship, stuck through the Cavs’ search for a new identity when the hometown Hall-of-Famer packed his bags for the bright lights of Los Angeles and watched the team’s young stars blossom under yet another new head coach and a newly-acquired superstar in guard Donovan Mitchell.
Though he was drafted and made his name through his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love spent three more seasons with the Cavaliers after a blockbuster trade including two No. 1 picks in Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins sent him to Cleveland in 2014. Since he first suited up for the Cavaliers, head coach David Blatt was fired after two years with the team, championship coach Tyrone Lue took up another lead role with the Los Angeles Clippers after being released in 2018 and guard Kyrie Irving found a four-year home in Brooklyn after moving to Boston to “be the man” on his own team.