June 2026 marks 10 years since the most improbable championship in NBA history. Thirty-eight teams have gone down 3–1 in the NBA Finals. It was a death sentence for 37 of them, but one team overcame those odds: the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. With June being Men’s Mental Health Month, we highlight one of the key figures on that championship team, Kevin Love, who was also overcoming something off the court.

As Kevin Love prepares to enter his 19th NBA season in 2026, now as a member of the Utah Jazz, he has a role some players struggle with embracing. He averaged just 16.6 minutes per game, a far cry from the 31.4 minutes he averaged during the Cavaliers’ championship season, but Kevin Love understands that his value is no longer measured only by what he does on the court.

Love has openly discussed what he calls “the reality of athletic mortality.” As his career winds down, mentoring the young Utah Jazz gives him a new purpose to show up every day. He has the unique opportunity to guide the next generation, giving him a second life within the game.

Warriors star Jimmy Butler, who played with Love in Miami, said Kevin “kept him sane” and was “like a brother.” That comes as no surprise. Love is known for his lighthearted personality. From joking around on the sidelines to his self-deprecating, meme-filled social media presence, he has become one of basketball’s most relatable veterans. He uses that humor to build relationships with teammates, many of whom are still trying to figure out who they are as players and as people.

Yet behind that easygoing image was a struggle few people expected. At the height of his career, Kevin Love had everything a basketball player could want: a starring role on a championship contender, financial security, and highlights that regularly made SportsCenter’s Top 10. From the outside, many believed his life was nearly perfect. The reality was very different.

On November 5, 2017, what should have been a routine regular-season game against the Atlanta Hawks became one of the most important moments of his adult life. A combination of a slow start to the season filled with championship expectations, family issues, and a lack of sleep led to a panic attack that shook him to his core.

After receiving help from the Cavaliers’ medical staff, Love returned to the court with little change in his performance, but internally something still felt wrong. The Cavaliers connected him with a therapist, and what began as routine conversations became a journey toward confronting struggles he had hidden throughout his career.

Love has since revealed that he battled severe depression from the beginning of his NBA career. At one point in 2012, he even contemplated suicide. Much of that struggle came from believing his identity existed only through basketball. The game became his escape from everything else.

For the first time, his teammates caught a glimpse of the burden he had carried for years. Despite competing at the highest level of the sport, he was fighting battles that no one in the arena could see.

Paving the Way

Kevin Love said he was inspired to tell his story after conference rival DeMar DeRozan publicly discussed his own battle with depression. Seeing another NBA star speak honestly made Love realize his own story might encourage others to do the same.

On March 6, 2018, just three months before Cleveland reached its fourth consecutive NBA Finals, Love published a 2,300-word essay in The Players’ Tribune. In it, he revealed the side of professional sports that fans rarely witness.

His message in the article was captured in one simple sentence:

“Everyone is going through something that we can’t see.”

For years, he believed speaking openly about mental health would be viewed as weakness. Like many men, he felt the pressure of the stigma surrounding mental illness and worried that sharing his struggles would become a distraction for a championship contender.

Instead, the impact was immediate.

In the years that followed, players such as Paul George, Ben Simmons, and J.R. Smith publicly discussed anxiety, depression, and the emotional challenges that come with life beyond basketball. Love’s willingness to be vulnerable helped normalize conversations that had long been avoided in professional sports.

The response throughout the NBA was overwhelming.

The day the article was published in The Players’ Tribune.LeBron James told Love that he had “helped a lot of people today.” James also publicly praised Love for helping break the stigma surrounding men’s mental health.

Today, Love continues to advocate for athletes to speak openly about their mental health. It has become one of the defining aspects of his legacy both on and off the court.

It is also one of the reasons he embraces his current role with the Utah Jazz. While his contributio n to the box score may be smaller than it once was, his influence inside the organization continues to grow. Younger players see him not only as an NBA champion but as someone who listens, supports, and leads through his own experiences.

Love has never claimed that sharing his story solved all of his struggles. He has acknowledged that anxiety and, at times, suicidal thoughts remain part of his life. The difference today is that he no longer carries those burdens alone. Instead of hiding them, he seeks help, speaks openly, and uses his experiences to encourage the next generation.

Impact

Ten years ago, Kevin Love helped the Cavaliers complete the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. Today, he continues fighting a different kind of battle—one without a scoreboard, a trophy, or a guaranteed victory.

Yet every time another athlete feels empowered to ask for help or share their own story, Love earns another victory.

His basketball legacy will always include an NBA championship, but in the end, he may be remembered for something even greater than the game: showing athletes and fans alike that true strength isn’t found in hiding your struggles, but in having the courage to share them.

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