The NBA champion, 37, talks about playing in an 18th season and why longer careers may become more popular
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The sooner Kevin Love retires, the sooner he’ll likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he wants his basketball career to last as long as possible.
Love, 37, just entered his 18th season with his fourth NBA team, the Utah Jazz, and is embracing a new role in a new city.
“I love it. And I think being here is a completely different challenge. I still use the term ‘pay it forward’ to young people, but it’s gratifying for me to be there every day, and I actually feel pretty good. Thirty years of organized basketball, my knees may tell me otherwise, but I actually feel pretty good,” Love told News Digital in a recent interview.
“I’m not an 82-game guy anymore, but I like to go out and do my best, and I love to play. Sometimes the business we’re talking about can be small: you get traded or contracts come into play. There’s definitely a lot of things that are good and bad, but I love it. The NBA has been very good to me, so I want to stay as long as I can.”
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The Utah Jazz’s Kevin Love dribbles the ball past the Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg during the first half of a preseason game on Oct. 13, 2025, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
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Part of the reason Love still feels good is because of Shift Naturals, a wellness brand Love joked is medical marijuana-adjacent. Sugar- and alcohol-free, the brand’s gummies and drinks help you relax after a long day of practice or parenting.
“This is my 18th season and my career is based on recovery and consistency, it’s great to have healthy alternatives that actually taste good. It’s made in Oregon, so my backyard, I grew up in Portland, so Bend, Oregon, is near and dear to me, and it’s a team I trust,” Love said.
“So it’s the sparkling waters, the cocktails, and the gummies that help people relax, recover, and manage stress. I use them pretty much every day. The gummies I usually drink after I put my daughter to bed at night or after practice or when I’m getting these things up and in and then, you know, to hydrate, I usually drink sparkling waters at night just to get a little bit of a break from the grind.”
Kevin Love of the Utah Jazz during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on November 2, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina (David Jensen/Getty Images)
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Shift Naturals is just another part of the sports science world that Love has tapped into to extend his career. He also credits the influx of information over the years (information unimaginable when he started playing) for why players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant continue to compete.
“We didn’t have these healthy alternatives when I came into the league… Now you have something like Shift, it’s made for peaceful relaxation. It’s nice to have that kind of thing,” Love said.
“Sports science, there are so many different modalities, and longevity is a real thing. You’re seeing guys, not just staying in the league for 15, 20, 20 or more years, where you have Steph Currys, Kevin Durants, LeBron James who are performing at a very high level even in the later stages of their career. So, again, it’s about having things, whether you consume them or it’s hyperbaric or red light or contrast. There’s a lot of things that have been shown to really They push men to have longer, healthier careers.
“I wish I had been educated and knew more [when I first came into the league]. The why and how it can affect the body and mind. So it’s a great testament to those guys. “You have to have a little luck, but those guys managed to stay healthy despite coming into the league when all this was not at our disposal.”
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/Image Images)
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Love also made a bold prediction. With all the additional scientific knowledge now available, longer races will become the norm, along with healthier lifestyles off the field, he said.
“I think we’re going to see it more and more: guys playing 15, 20 years in the league because they have all this. 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 and just be better for longer, healthier for longer, and long term, after they’re done playing, they’ll probably feel better in their body.
“If you kill the body, the mind will die. I just think you’ll have a much more rewarding and fulfilling life just feeling better every day. Feel like younger fathers, younger fathers, younger husbands, fathers. That’s going to make for a better life.”
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