Robert Earl Love (December 8, 1942 – November 18, 2024) was an American professional basketball player who spent the prime of his career with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Chicago Bulls. He is also remembered for his efforts in striving to overcome a severe stutter that had plagued him for decades; taking him from jobs as a dishwasher and busboy after retiring from the NBA, to ultimately becoming an executive with the Bulls (as a community affairs director and good will ambassador) and Nordstrom (managing health and sanitation for a 70-restaurant chain); and being a motivational speaker to thousands of children.
Love did not become a starter in the NBA until he was 27-years old, with the 1969–70 Chicago Bulls. Over a seven-season period with the Bulls from 1969 to 1976, the ambidextrous Love averaged over 21 points per game in six consecutive seasons, led the Bulls in scoring in six consecutive seasons, was an NBA All-Star three times, second-team All-NBA twice, and a second-team NBA All-Defensive Team selection three times. Love averaged between six and 8.7 rebounds per game during that same time period. He led the Bulls in minutes played in multiple seasons, and is in the top-five Bulls players all-time in career minutes played per game and scoring average. In 47 playoff games with Bulls, Love averaged nearly 44 minutes and 23 points per game. He was a member of the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor's inaugural class in 2023. He was the second Bulls player to have his number retired.
Love attended Southern University, where he played four years of varsity basketball. He averaged double-doubles as a sophomore (22.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game), junior (25.6 points and 18 rebounds per game), and as a senior (30.6 points and 18.2 rebounds per game). He was an NAIA All-American as a junior (third-team) and senior (first-team), and was first team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) for three consecutive seasons. He was the selected as the SWAC's most valuable player in 1965. Southern retired his number in 2012.
Love was nicknamed "Butterbean" because of his fondness for the legume in childhood, and the name went with him throughout his life.
Early life Love was born on December 8, 1942, in Bastrop, Louisiana. He grew up in a two-bedroom shanty, and in the cotton fields of Louisiana, the son of a sharecropper. He was one of 14 children; his mother being only 15-years old when she gave birth to him. Love was eight years old when his mother re-married an ex-Marine, who was abusive and would physically strike the young Love at random. Soon after, Love ran away to live with his grandmother when he was eight years old. When Love's stepfather came to retrieve him, Love recalls his grandmother met the man at her door holding an axe handle, and said "'Get out of here . . . The boy lives here now'". Love suffered from a severe stuttering disability and seldom spoke as a child, fearing to be called on in school where other children would ridicule him. Love reportedly did not meet his biological father until he was 33.
Chicago Tribune columnist, and author, Bob Greene, who covered Love when he was with the Chicago Bulls, later described the nature of Love's speech issues from Greene's own personal experience with Love. After stating that the phrase "stuttering disorder" was inadequate to describe Love's experience, Greene wrote: "that is too bland a term, and does not come close to describing how awful and closed-in Love's world was because he could not speak . . . sitting with another person, trying to talk, it was not unusual for a minute, or even two minutes, to pass as he tried to get out a single word. His mouth would move, his face would contort, frustration and anguish would fill his eyes–and nothing would happen".
As a child, Love's first basketball hoop was made out of a coat hangar, and his first basketball was a pair of socks. Love starred in both basketball and football (as the quarterback) at Morehouse High School (now defunct) in Bastrop. He reportedly led Morehouse to state titles in both sports. He was able to call plays as a quarterback because he did not stutter when he sang, and he would sing the play calls to his teammates in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. Love was ambidextrous as a scorer in basketball. He was not in the starting basketball lineup as a junior, playing behind future NBA player Lucious Jackson; but became a starter as a senior after Jackson graduated, averaging over 30 points per game. Love had a growth spurt during high school, and was 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (81.6 kg) when he graduated in 1961. Love was nicknamed "Butterbean" in his boyhood because he was fond of the legume, and the nickname stayed with him throughout his life."The Power of Love," Chicago Bulls, Friday, December 15, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2023. College career It has been reported that Love's only real collegiate choices were a limited number of HBCU schools, as predominantly white schools were not interested in him at that time. These included Southern University, Grambling, and Texas Southern, which were recruiting him as a football player. Love earned a football scholarship to Southern University (Southern or SU) in Baton Rouge, part of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). He was recruited to play quarterback on the school's football by Southern's athletic director, A. W. "Ace" Mumford. However, Love never played a game of football at SU. Instead, while working on campus during the summer before his freshman year, SU basketball coach Dick Mack saw Love playing basketball at the school gym and convinced Love to join the basketball team. By the fourth game of his freshman basketball season, Love became a starter on SU's basketball team.
Love averaged 12.8 points per game as a freshman. He averaged 22.6 points per game and 12.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore (1962–63). As a sophomore, Love was a unanimously selected All-SWAC, and was an honorable mention All-American.
As a junior (1963–64), he averaged 25.6 points per game and 18 rebounds per game. He was named an NAIA third-team All-American, and was again selected All-SWAC. Love was invited to try out for the 1964 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, though he was not selected.
As a senior (1964–65), Love was named the SWAC's most valuable player. He averaged 30.6 points per game and 18.2 rebounds a game. His 30.6 points per game led the SWAC that year. He was a unanimous first-team NAIA All-American, and was selected All-SWAC for the third consecutive season. He was the first black player to be selected by area sportswriters to the All-Southern team. United Press International named Love to its first-team small college All-America team in 1965. His future Chicago Bulls' teammate Jerry Sloan was also named to the UPI small college first team. The Associated Press (AP) named Love an All-American small college honorable mention in 1965. He was selected to play on a 1965 NAIA All-Star team that toured the United States playing exhibition games against a team from the Soviet Union.
Southern had a 25–5 record that season (1964–65), and Love led the team to the 32-team 1965 NAIA basketball tournament. Southern defeated Indiana Tech in the first round, 94–77. Love had 34 points and 25 rebounds in that game. Southern then defeated Eastern Montana, 97–86, with Love scoring 27 points. Ouachita Baptist upset Southern in the next round. Love had given Southern a 64–61 lead with 28 seconds left in the game, but Ouachita scored a field goal, and then made two free throws with three seconds left in the game to win, 65–64. In his three tournament games, Love had 86 points and 53 rebounds, and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
After playing professional basketball in Trenton, New Jersey in 1965–66, Love returned to Southern to complete his studies. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in food and nutrition. He became a brother in the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity while at SU.
Professional career
Cincinnati Royals, Trenton Colonials, ABA, and Milwaukee Bucks In 1965, the Cincinnati Royals selected the forward in the fourth round of the 1965 NBA draft, 36th overall. Love was one of the last three players the Royals released before the start of the 1965–66 NBA season. Love spent the 1965–66 season playing in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) for the Trenton Colonials, in a 28-game season. Love averaged 24 points, 18.5 rebounds, and two assists per game for the Colonials. He was named the EPBL Rookie of the Year Award. He reportedly earned $50 per game, with no bonus, playing as a rookie in Trenton. He took a part-time job as a maintenance man in a hospital to support himself.
Trenton had a contract with Love for a second season, but the Royals, Baltimore Bullets, and newly created Chicago Bulls were showing an interest in signing Love in the summer of 1966. He rejoined the Royals in 1966, and made the team as a reserve power forward. Love made his NBA debut on October 18, 1966. In 66 games, Love averaged 16.3 minutes, 6.7 points, and 3.9 rebounds per game. His best game of the season was against the San Francisco Warriors in early December, when he played 40 minutes and had 26 points and eight rebounds. He suffered a back injury during the 1966–67 season that required back surgery, and was serious enough that he was concerned it could end his career.
After the season ended, on May 23, 1967, Love signed a contract to play for the New Orleans Buccaneers of the newly formed American Basketball Association. He was the first Royals' player to sign with the new league. Love said at the time that although he had a high quality relationship with the Royals, he agreed to the Buccaneers "'enticing offer'". The Royals threatened litigation to stop Love from joining the Buccaneers. All NBA team's had an option clause in their player contracts forcing a player to stay with a team for a year after a contract ended, even if the player did not agree to the salary terms of the contract imposed upon them. Of the NBA players joining ABA teams, the legal issues involving Love and the Buccaneers were the most difficult for an NBA team because of unique aspects of Louisiana law not found in the other 49 states that prevented any suit directly against the Buccaneers.
Over the summer of 1967, other players ultimately decided not to join the ABA teams with which they had signed contracts, and returned to their NBA teams. Love remained determined to play in New Orleans, near his home, though the Royals kept negotiating for his return. The matter effectively resolved when a court determined in a lawsuit between Rick Barry and the San Francisco Warriors that the NBA's option clause in the contract between Barry and the Warriors was enforceable. Barry either had to return to the Warriors or forego playing for one season if he wanted to join the ABA. The same option clause was at issue in all NBA player contracts. On August 21, Love signed a contract to return to the Royals.
Before his back surgery, Love had relied on his leaping ability as an offensive player. Afterward, he revised his entire offensive game; with new shots and new fake moves, relying more on his mind than body in how to play. Love played in 72 games for the Royals in 1967–68. Still a reserve, he averaged 14.8 minutes, 6.4 points, and 2.9 rebounds per game. The Royals did not protect Love in the May 1968 NBA expansion draft, and Love was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks. Love did well in the Bucks' preseason. He led all Bucks players in a September intrasquad game with 34 points, coach Larry Costello calling Love's shooting "fantastic" (though his defense was lacking like most of the Bucks players). In a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, he scored five points in overtime to lead the Bucks to victory.