NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The sooner Kevin Love retires, the sooner he’ll likely enter the Hall of Fame — but he wants his basketball career to last as long as possible.
Love, 37, just began his 18th season with his fourth NBA team, the Utah Jazz, and he’s taking on a new role in a new city.
“I love it. And I think it’s a whole different challenge to be here. I keep using the term ‘pay it forward’ to the kids, but it’s rewarding for me to be here every day, and I feel really, really good. Thirty years of organized basketball, my knees might tell me otherwise, but I actually feel really good,” Love told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview. “I’m not an 82-game guy anymore, but I love going out there and doing my best, and I love playing this game. Sometimes the business we’re talking about can be small – you get traded or contracts come into play, there’s definitely a lot of good and bad, but I love it. The NBA has been very good to me, so I want to stay as long as possible.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Kevin Love of the Utah Jazz dribbles the ball past Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of the preseason game on October 13, 2025 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Part of the reason Love still feels good is because of Shift Naturals, a wellness brand that Love joked is medical marijuana-adjacent. Without sugar or alcohol, the brand’s gummies and drinks help him relax after a long day of training or being a dad.
“This is my 18th season and my career is built on recovery and consistency, it’s great to have alternatives that are healthy and taste really good. It’s made in Oregon, so my backyard, I grew up in Portland, so Bend, Oregon is near and dear to me, and they’re a team that I trust,” Love said. “So they’re sparkling waters and cocktails and gummies that help people relax and recover and manage stress. I use them almost every day. The gummies, I usually have after I put my daughter to bed at night or after a workout or when I lift and put this thing on and afterward, you know, to hydrate, I usually have the sparkling waters at night just to relax.”
Kevin Love of the Utah Jazz watches the first half of a basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 2, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (David Jensen/Getty Images)
EX-NBA STAR MICHAEL RAY RICHARDSON, BANNED FOR LIFE BY THE LEAGUE, DEAD AT 70
Shift Naturals is just another part of the sports science world that Love has delved into to extend his career. He also credits the influx of information over the years — information unimaginable when he started playing — as the reason players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are still competing.
“We didn’t have these healthy alternatives when I first came into the league. … Now you have something like Shift, it’s made for gentle relaxation, it’s nice to have that type of thing,” Love said. “Sports science, there are so many different modalities, and longevity is a real thing. You see guys, not just staying in the league for 15, 20, 20-plus years, where you have the Steph Currys, the Kevin Durants, the LeBron James performing at a very high level still in the later stages of their career. So, again, it’s about having things, whether you’re consuming it or whether it’s hyperbaric or red light or contrast therapy, there are so many things that have been proven now that really push guys toward longer, healthier careers.
“I wish I was educated and knew more [when I first came into the league]. The why and how it can affect the body and mind. That’s why it’s such a testament to these guys. You have to be a little lucky, but these guys managed to stay healthy despite coming into the league when all that wasn’t available to us.
Utah Jazz forward Kevin Love (42) handles the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté (14) during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Love also made a bold prediction: With all the additional scientific knowledge now available, longer careers will become the norm, coupled with healthier lifestyles off the field.
“I think you’re going to see it more and more – guys playing 15, 20 years in the league because they have all of that. It’s going to be amazing to see these long careers and what people are going to be able to produce or how they’re going to be able to produce longer and just be better longer, healthier longer, long term after they’re done playing, probably feel better about their body. You kill the body, the mind dies. I just think it will create a life much more rewarding and fulfilling just by feeling better every day Feeling like younger parents, younger fathers, younger husbands, fathers, that’s going to contribute to a better life.
