In early March, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love revealed his struggles with panic attacks in a piece for The Players’ Tribune and joined forces with DeMar DeRozan on a public service announcement regarding mental health. Rightly, Love was praised for his courage and candor and, while we can’t possibly understand the full scope of the positive impact of his public statements, it feels safe to assume that his comments were vital.
In a sit-down interview with NBC’s The Today Show that is set to air on Monday, Love recalled what he described as a “special moment” with now-former teammate LeBron James shortly after his revelation.
.@kevinlove will be speaking to @CarsonDaly on Monday in an exclusive interview on TODAY pic.twitter.com/iYy7QvEEbV
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 17, 2018
“It was a special moment for me because we sat towards the end of the bus,” Love said to Carson Daly. “He kind of said ‘hey, do you have a moment.’ He stopped me, shook my hand, looked me in my eye and said ‘You helped a lot of people today. It’s important.’ That was super powerful for me because not only is he the best athlete in the world, the best basketball player in the world but his influence and having my back with that was super important to me.”
While Love’s impact on the overall consciousness stands on its own, he appeared significantly moved by James’ assurance. It is easy to see why that might be the case given James’ overall gravity and influence but, beyond that, Love and James clearly have a friendship that moves well beyond the basketball floor and this is the kind of thing that strengthens the ever-increasing respect level that those in the basketball world already have for the game’s best player.
Kevin Love’s bravery is both commendable and important, and LeBron James reinforced that in a subtle and private, yet significant, way.
