Robert Earl "Butterbean" Love (born December 8, 1942) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who spent the prime of his career with the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

. A versatile forward who could shoot with either his left or right hand, Love now works as the Bulls' director of community affairs and goodwill ambassador.

High school and college career

After starring at Morehouse High School (now defunct) in Louisiana, Love played

for

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

, where he also became a brother of

Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...

. He earned

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors in 1963.

Professional career

In 1965, the

Cincinnati Royals The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

selected the 6’8" forward in the fourth round of the 1965 NBA draft. Love failed to make the team, and instead spent the 1965–66 NBA season in the

Eastern Basketball League Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

. After averaging over 25 points per game, Love earned the EBL Rookie of the Year Award and gained enough confidence to try out for the Royals once more. He made the team on his second attempt and played two seasons for the Royals, largely in a reserve role. Love made his NBA debut on October 18, 1966. In 1968, the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

selected him in the NBA

Expansion Draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion ...

and traded him to the Chicago Bulls in the middle of the 1968–69 season. Love flourished while playing for

Dick Motta John Richard Motta (born September 3, 1931) is an American former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship, and he won the 1971 ...

's Bulls. In 1969–70, he became a full-time starter, averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds. The following two seasons he averaged 25.2 and 25.8 points per game, appeared in his first two

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...

s, and earned All-NBA Second Team honors both seasons. Love also appeared in the 1973 All-Star Game, and he would average at least 19 points and six rebounds every season until 1976–77. Love was named to the NBA's All-Defense Second Team in 1974 and 1975. His #10 jersey was the second jersey number to be retired by the Chicago Bulls.

Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...

's #4 was the first. Love's 1995 wedding ceremony to Rachel Dixon took place at the

United Center United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1966–67 , align="left" ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, 66 , , - , , 16.3 , , .429 , , - , , .633 , , 3.9 , , 0.7 , , - , , - , , 6.7 , - , align="left" , 1967–68 , align="left" ,

, 72 , , - , , 14.8 , , .424 , , - , , .684 , , 2.9 , , 0.8 , , - , , - , , 6.4 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 14 , , - , , 16.2 , , .368 , , - , , .763 , , 4.6 , , 0.2 , , - , , - , , 7.6 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 35 , , - , , 9.0 , , .416 , , - , , .724 , , 2.5 , , 0.4 , , - , , - , , 5.1 , - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , - , , 38.1 , , .466 , , - , , .842 , , 8.7 , , 1.8 , , - , , - , , 21.0 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 81 , , - , , 43.0 , , .447 , , - , , .829 , , 8.5 , , 2.3 , , - , , - , , 25.2 , - , align="left" , 1971–72 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 79 , , - , , 39.3 , , .442 , , - , , .784 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , - , , - , , 25.8 , - , align="left" , 1972–73 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , - , , 37.0 , , .431 , , - , , .824 , , 6.5 , , 1.5 , , - , , - , , 23.1 , - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , - , , 40.1 , , .417 , , - , , .818 , , 6.0 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 21.8 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 61 , , - , , 39.4 , , .429 , , - , , .830 , , 6.3 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 22.0 , - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 76 , , - , , 37.1 , , .390 , , - , , .801 , , 6.7 , , 1.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 19.1 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 14 , , - , , 35.4 , , .338 , , - , , .761 , , 5.2 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 12.2 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 13 , , - , , 17.5 , , .462 , , - , , .846 , , 2.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 10.1 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 32 , , - , , 14.1 , , .372 , , - , , .872 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 789 , , - , , 31.8 , , .429 , , - , , .805 , , 5.9 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 17.6

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 5 , , - , , 34.4 , , .385 , , - , , .792 , , 9.2 , , 0.8 , , - , , - , , 11.8 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 7 , , - , , style="background:#cfecec;", 47.1* , , .491 , , - , , .806 , , 7.3 , , 1.4 , , - , , - , , style="background:#cfecec;", 26.7* , - , align="left" , 1971–72 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 4 , , - , , 43.3 , , .360 , , - , , .846 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , - , , - , , 18.8 , - , align="left" , 1972–73 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 7 , , - , , 44.9 , , .459 , , - , , .732 , , 9.6 , , 3.3 , , - , , - , , 23.7 , - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 11 , , - , , 44.5 , , .405 , , - , , .763 , , 5.7 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 23.0 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 13 , , - , , 44.8 , , .437 , , - , , .779 , , 7.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 25.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 47 , , - , , 43.9 , , .431 , , - , , .776 , , 7.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 22.9

Executive career

Love ended his NBA career with the Bulls after spending parts of the 1976–77 season in New York and Seattle. He would finish with career totals of 13,895 points, 1,123 assists, and 4,653 rebounds. Love developed a

stutter Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...

in childhood, and some say it prevented him from finding meaningful employment after his playing days were over. At one point, Love was hired as a busboy and dishwasher by

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...

where he earned $4.45 an hour. Eventually, John Nordstrom, the director of the family business, was so impressed with the former NBA star's work ethic, he offered to pay for

speech therapy Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

classes. Nordstrom later promoted Love to be the corporate spokesperson. In 1993, Love returned to the Chicago Bulls as their director of community relations. One of his duties in this position involves regularly speaking to school children. Love has also become a motivational speaker.

Bibliography

* ''The Bob Love Story: If It's Gonna Be, It's Up to Me'' (), in 1999.

References

External links

*
Bob Love NBA career statistics
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20091220064452/http://www.aeispeakers.com/speakerbio.php?SpeakerID=632 Bio of Bob Love at AEI Speakers {{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Bob 1942 births Living people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American motivational speakers Basketball players from Louisiana Basketball players from Chicago Chicago Bulls players Cincinnati Royals draft picks Cincinnati Royals players Milwaukee Bucks expansion draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers New York Nets players People from Bastrop, Louisiana Seattle SuperSonics players Small forwards Southern Jaguars basketball players