EMOTIONAL: Kevin Love’s return to Cleveland fuels jersey retirement talk, forever intertwining his legacy with Nick Gilbert

Kevin Love’s return to Cleveland fuels jersey retirement talk, forever intertwining his legacy with Nick Gilbert

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The legacies of Nick Gilbert, son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, and Kevin Love are forever intertwined, and they could soon be on display in Rocket Arena.

On Wednesday, Love returned to Cleveland for the first time since requesting a buyout in 2023, a bittersweet departure.

In a twist of fate, after leaving the Cavs for more playing time with the Miami Heat, Love found himself in the starting lineup for his first game in the 216 in three years.

As he stepped onto the court, memories of the city that shaped his career came rushing back — the place where he won a championship and played a role in molding the players now leading the NBA with a league-best 52-10 record, poised to chase history once again.

There was no resentment from the fans, only thunderous applause as he was introduced as a starter, followed by another eruption after the first timeout when the Cavs honored the future Hall of Famer with a video tribute.

After the game, as he reflected on his time in Cleveland, Love divulged the potential to be immortalized next to one of the most influential people in his life during his tenure in Cleveland: Nick Gilbert.

“Some ways, I still feel very young, and then in other ways, I look in the mirror and think, where’d the time go?” Love said postgame. “Seventeen years in, spent eight and a half great years in Cleveland. My number will, because I’ve been told, I’ll eventually go up there next to Nick Gilbert.”

Nick’s presence became a symbol of hope, luck, and resilience — especially when he represented the Cavs at multiple NBA Draft lotteries, where his magic touch helped secure three No. 1 overall picks.

At 14, he began his own tradition of wearing a bow tie to the NBA Draft lottery for the first time in 2011. The Cavs had only a 2.8% chance of getting the top pick on that draw. They received the No. 1 overall selection, which they used to draft Kyrie Irving. A similar situation took place when the Cavs earned the top pick for the 2013 and 2014 drafts.

In 2014, the Cavs traded Anthony Bennett (the 2013 No. 1 overall pick) and Andrew Wiggins (the 2014 No. 1 overall pick) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Love, connecting Nick and Love’s stories for the first time.

It led to the franchise’s lone championship, which they got to celebrate together.