Cleveland Cavaliers veteran Kevin Love reconnected with former Cavs teammate LeBron James as well as agent Rich Paul while attending the events surrounding this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
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Love and James played together with the Cavaliers for four seasons from 2014 to 2018, a relatively brief era that marked the most successful stretch in franchise history. During that period, the Cavaliers won four consecutive Eastern Conference championships and captured the 2016 NBA title.
That connection began to take shape during the summer of 2014 after James announced he would be returning to play for the Cavaliers. Plans were then set in motion for the Cavaliers to acquire Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Love’s acquisition was strongly endorsed by James, who had previously played with Love as part of Team USA during the 2012 Olympics in London.
Both Love and James have had their ups and downs since parting as teammates, with those downs largely focused on injuries suffered by both veterans.
While Love’s role with the Cavaliers was reduced during the 2021-22 campaign, he managed to avoid the nagging injuries that plagued him during the previous three seasons. Appearing in 74 games and starting in four contests, Love averaged 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season, helping the team reach the play-in portion of the postseason.
After leaving in 2018 to join the Los Angeles Lakers, James managed to lead his team to the 2020 NBA title. However, his other three seasons with the Lakers have been marked by frustrating injuries.
James’ injuries, along with those of teammate Anthony Davis, resulted in the Lakers not even reaching the playoffs this season. That shocking result came after plenty of preseason enthusiasm about another potential NBA title run for the Lakers.
It’s clear from the photograph that Love and James are taking some offseason time to simply relax and prepare for next season. They may meet again in the coming months or simply catch up when the Cavaliers and Lakers face each other next season.
