Kevin Love Embraces New Chapter at 37, Reflects on NBA’s Evolution

In his 18th NBA season, Kevin Love isn’t ready to hang up his sneakers just yet. At 37, the five-time All-Star and NBA champion has found a new home with the Utah Jazz, embracing a mentorship role that gives him renewed purpose in the twilight of his career. Despite nearly two decades of professional basketball taking a toll on his body, Love remains passionate about the game that has defined his life.

“I love it. This is a whole different challenge being here,” Love told Fox News Digital. “I keep using the term ‘pay it forward’ to the young guys, but it’s gratifying for me to show up every day.” Though he acknowledges he’s no longer built for the grueling 82-game schedule, Love approaches each opportunity with enthusiasm. “Thirty years of organized basketball, my knees might tell me different, but I actually feel really good,” he explained. “I’m not an 82-game guy anymore, but I like to go out there and put my best foot forward.” Despite the business side of basketball—trades, contracts, and financial considerations—Love maintains his appreciation for the sport. “The NBA’s been very good to me, so I want to stick around as long as I can,” he said, highlighting his desire to extend his playing days rather than rush toward retirement and a potential Hall of Fame induction.

Part of Love’s longevity strategy involves embracing modern wellness approaches, including his partnership with Shift Naturals, a wellness brand from Oregon that produces sugar-free, alcohol-free gummies and drinks designed for relaxation and recovery. The products have become integral to Love’s daily routine. “This being my 18th season and my career being built on recovery and consistency, it’s great to have healthy alternatives and ones that actually taste good,” Love explained. His connection to the brand runs deeper than business—it’s personal, given his Portland roots. “It’s made in Oregon, so my backyard, I grew up in Portland, so Bend, Oregon, is near and dear to me,” he said. Love typically uses the gummies after putting his daughter to bed or following workouts, while the sparkling waters help him unwind in the evenings after long days.

The evolution of sports science and recovery methods represents a dramatic shift from when Love entered the league. Today’s NBA players have access to an array of resources that were simply unavailable to previous generations. “We didn’t have these healthy alternatives when I had come into the league,” Love reflected. “Sports science, there’s so many different modalities, and longevity is a real thing.” This scientific advancement explains why contemporaries like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant continue performing at elite levels well into their 30s and, in James’s case, beyond. “You’re seeing guys not only stay around into 15, 20, 20-plus years in the league, where you have the Steph Currys, the Kevin Durants, the LeBron James that are performing at a very high level still at the later stages in their career,” Love observed. The comprehensive approach to athlete care now encompasses nutrition, hyperbaric therapy, red light therapy, and contrast therapy—all scientifically supported methods for extending careers.

Love candidly admits he wishes he had known more about these approaches earlier in his career. “I wish I was educated and knew more [when I first came into the league]. The why and how it can affect body and mind,” he said. His admiration for players who have maintained their health despite entering the league before these advances became widespread is evident. “That’s why it’s such a testament to those guys. You have to be a little bit lucky, but those guys have managed to stay healthy despite coming into the league when all of this wasn’t at our disposal.” The combination of advanced knowledge and commitment to health maintenance has created a new paradigm for professional longevity, one that Love has embraced even in the latter stages of his career.

Looking toward the future, Love makes a bold prediction about the trajectory of NBA careers. With the continued advancement of sports science and recovery techniques, he believes extended careers will become the norm rather than the exception. “I think you’re going to see it more and more—guys playing 15, 20 years in the league because they have all of this,” he forecasted. “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 for longer.” The benefits extend beyond mere athletic performance; they contribute to overall quality of life during and after basketball. “You kill the body, the mind will die,” Love noted philosophically. “I just think it’ll make for a much more gratifying and fulfilling life just by feeling better every day. Feel like younger parents, younger dads, younger husbands, fathers. It’s going to make for a better life.” As Love continues his basketball journey with the Jazz, he stands as both a beneficiary of and advocate for this evolution in athlete care—demonstrating that with the right approach, the golden years of a career can be just as meaningful as the prime.