Chicago Bulls Legend Bob Love Dead At 81

Chicago Bulls legend Bob Love has handed away following a battle with most cancers, the crew introduced. He was 81 years previous.

“Bob is one of the original Bulls greats,” Jerry Reinsdorf, Chicago Bulls chairman, stated in a press release. “During his nine seasons with the Bulls, Bob became a cornerstone of the franchise, and his tenacious defense set high standards for competition and toughness.”

“Toughness was not only a trademark of Bob’s play on the court, but also apparent in his resiliency throughout his basketball career.”

Butterbean — who was a member of the franchise from 1968-1976 — was chosen within the fourth spherical of the 1965 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals. After spending a 12 months within the Jap Basketball League, he tried out for the Royals once more in 1966.

He then spent two years with the crew … earlier than being chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks within the NBA Growth Draft — who traded him to the Bulls that very same 12 months.

In his 9 years with the Bulls, the 6-foot-8 ahead averaged 21.3 factors per sport with 6.8 rebounds per sport.

The three-time NBA All-Star known as it a profession after the 1976-77 season … and had his jersey retired in 1994.