CHICAGO (CBS) — Bob Love, an NBA basketball legend who played nine seasons with the Chicago Bulls, died Monday.
Love died after a long battle with cancer, the Bulls said. He was 81.
Love was born in Louisiana on December 8, 1942. As a child, he suffered from a stutter, which led him to turn inward and dream of playing professional basketball, according to the HistoryMakers.
Love used to practice with wire hangers in the shape of hoops that he nailed in his grandmother’s house, according to HistoryMakers.
Love graduated from Morehouse High School in Bastrop, Louisiana and then from Southern University in Baton Rouge with a degree in Food and Nutrition. He first played basketball for the Cincinnati Royals.
Love went on to play for the Milwaukee Bucks and joined the Bulls midway through the 1968-69 season. During his time with the Bulls, Love, nicknamed “Butterbean,” was a three-time NBA All-Star.
Love was also the Bulls’ leading scorer for seven straight years and remains the second-highest scorer in Bulls history behind Michael Jordan.
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The Bulls called Love a “tenacious defender and a cornerstone of our team.”
Love suffered a back injury in 1976. He was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics, but his basketball career was quickly over.
The HistoryMakers noted that Love struggled after leaving professional basketball – with his stutter posing a challenge in obtaining steady work. In 1984, he worked as a dishwasher for $4.45 an hour, the HistoryMakers reported.
But Love’s stutter was treated by a therapist, and by 1992 he was back with the Bulls as director of community affairs, the HistoryMakers reported. In subsequent years, Love also gave motivational speeches.
“[Love] became an inspirational figure and a passionate community ambassador for the Bulls, dedicating himself to worthy causes and uplifting countless lives with his motivational speeches,” the Bulls said. “We are deeply grateful for his lasting contributions and legacy, both on and off the field. Chicago.”
Love’s No. 10 jersey has been retired and hangs in the rafters of the United Center.
