One of the most dynamic big men in the NBA, Kevin Love has been admired for his proficient rebounding skills and well developed shooting capabilities. While not the most outspoken player in the NBA, Love has been an exemplary talent that has remained humble while inspiring his teammates to reach their potential on the court. Love is also a respected altruist as he joined the Hoops for St. Jude’s charity program in 2009 after working with the hospital during his rookie season. Given Love’s ample contributions on and off the court, one intriguing inquiry remains: how much is the respected athlete actually worth?
Kevin Love’s Net Worth as of 2017: $45.3 Million
How did the versatile basketball star get there? And how have Love’s numerous accomplishments enabled him to obtain this type of wealth? Let’s find out.
2008-2013
Although Love was initially drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, he was ultimately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with several other players.
After a rocky start during his rookie season, new head coach Kevin McHale revitalized a woeful Timberwolves franchise as they went 10-4 in January with Love averaging a double-double. Overall, Love’s rookie season was a major success as he finished first among rookies in rebounding and double-doubles.
While expectations were high for the second-year power forward, he was sidelined before the start of the 2009 season due to breaking his fourth metacarpal in his left hand in a preseason game. However, after missing the first 18 games of the season following surgery, Love came back to the struggling Timberwolves ready to contribute. Throughout the rest of the season, Love established himself as one of the most physical and vigilant players in the NBA as he led the league in rebounds per 48 minutes (18.4), besting the highly respected Dwight Howard.
Despite his impressive output on both offense and defense last year, Love’s minutes were still limited by head coach Kurt Rambis in 2010. Still, Love made the most of his opportunities as he recorded a “30-30” game against the New York Knicks(31 points and 30 rebounds), which had not been accomplished since 1982. Unsurprisingly, Love was finally selected to his first All-Star game in place of a injured Yao Ming. Throughout the rest of the season, Love continued to assert himself as one of the best two-way players in the game as he recorded 53 straight double-doubles (breaking the team record previously held by Kevin Garnett who had 37). Once again, Love led the league in rebounding with 15.2 per game and won the NBA Most Improved Player Reward due to his vastly improved scoring output.
The start of the 2011 season proved to be a divisive ordeal between Love and the Timberwolves as contract negotiations were extremely tense. Ultimately, Love and the Timberwolves settled on a four-year extensions worth up to $62 million with a option for Love to opt out of the contract after the third year. Despite the overwhelming contract disputes, Love’s play on the court never faltered as he recorded 15 straight double-doubles to start the season. For his efforts, Love was named to the All-NBA second team and finished sixth in the MVP voting. However, between the inexplicably complicated contract negotiations and the Timberwolves poor play in recent years, Love began to slowly turn away from the organization while looking forward to free agency in 2015.
The 2012 season was immensely frustrating for Love, as he was unable to consistently compete due to a broken right hand injury. Although Love played fairly well when he was healthy, his confidence and commitment to the Timberwolves was beginning to deteriorate. All told, the season was one to forget as Love only played in 18 games and his offensive abilities regressed due to his shooting hand injury.
Love came into the 2013 season with a massive chip on his shoulder due to his extended absences during the previous year. Love overcame his dismal shooting numbers from last season as he set a Timberwolves record for most made three pointers in a season (143). On top of that, Love also set a NBA record as the first player to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 100 three pointers in a single season.
He reportedly earned $14.6 million in 2013
2014-Present
Before the start of the 2014 season, Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three team trade that also involved the Philadelphia 76ers. Love was instrumental in helping the Cavaliers earn a number two seed in the NBA playoffs with an overall record of 53-29. Although Love recorded a double-double against the Boston Celtics in the first round, he missed the rest of the playoffs after he dislocated his shoulder in Game 4 of the first round. While the Cavaliers battled all the way to the NBA Finals in Love’s absence, his team would eventually lose to the heavily favorited Golden State Warriors in six games.
After testing the free agent market before the start of 2015 season, Love ultimately re-signed with the Cavaliers. With a healthy Love and Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers easily secured the first seed in the Eastern Conference. Although the Cavaliers would ultimately make it back to the NBA Finals to defeat the Golden State Warriors in seven games, Love’s lack of production during the majority of the post season was disconcerting. Most notably, Love only recorded nine total points during Game’s 5 and 6 of the NBA Finals (Cavaliers were still able to win both of these games).
Despite his underwhelming performances during the NBA playoffs, Love came back to the Cavaliers a NBA Champion and returned to form as a respected two-way threat in 2016. He was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. Unfortunately, Love had to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on his left knee, thus forcing him to miss the All-Star Game. In the playoffs, Love has been solid as a scorer (14.7 PPG) and has been extremely effective as a proficient rebounder (8.8 RPG). Currently, the Cavaliers are facing the Warriors for the third consecutive year in the NBA Finals and are down 0-2 in the series.
Throughout his career, Love has been the consummate team player who has had to contend with one egregious type of adversity after another. Given how dismal the Timberwolves were during Love’s time there, it was impressive to witness his insatiable desire to contribute to his teams success in any way that he could. Thankfully, Love is now with a championship contender and has usually made the most of his opportunities on the court. If Love can help the Cavaliers persevere to come back again in the NBA Finals, he will undoubtedly get the immense amount of respect that he has always deserved.
He reportedly earned $21.1 million in 2017
