Former NBA player Stan Love, father of Miami Heat forward Kevin Love, has died at the age of 76, his son shared on Instagram on Sunday evening.
Love penned a long, heartfelt tribute to his father, also the brother of Beach Boys member Mike Love, in the caption of his social media post.
"Dad, you fought for a long time," Love wrote. "The hardest stretch being these past 6 months. The most painful to witness being these last few weeks. And even at the end as you continued to deteriorate—I still saw you as a Giant. My Protector. My first Hero."
"I’m so proud to be your son," he continued. "My only hope is that you’re proud of me. It was all I ever wanted. Thank you for everything."
The elder Love, a forward, was selected ninth overall by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1971 NBA draft. Across 226 games with both the Bullets and the Los Angeles Lakers, he averaged 6.8 points and 4.0 rebounds. He also played a season in San Antonio with the ABA before retiring in 1975.
Per The Associated Press, Kevin Love has been away from the Heat for personal reasons and will not appear in Game 4 of the team's first-round playoff series vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. The Cavs currently lead the series 3-0.
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