Bob Love was a fixture of the Bulls from almost the very beginning of the franchise. After a few ho-hum years to start his career, the Bulls acquired Love from the Milwaukee Bucks in the middle of the 1968-69 season. The forward didn’t do much the rest of that year, but he broke out the following season and became a longtime star.
Love notched 21.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in the 1969-70 campaign, putting him just behind Chet Walker for the scoring lead. Love struggled in the playoffs that year, but he came back and had one of the best seasons of his career in 1970-71. He exploded for 25.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the regular season, and he jumped to 26.7 points per game in a seven-game series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Love made his first of three straight All-Star Games in 1971, and he also made the All-NBA second team. The next season, the 6-foot-8 forward scored a career-high 25.8 points per game and made the All-NBA second team once again. He earned a spot on the All-Defensive second team as well, and he would make two other All-Defensive squads in his career.
Love enjoyed prolific playoff runs in 1974 and 1975 as the Bulls went to the Western Conference Finals both years. His time in Chicago came to an end when the Bulls traded him to the New York Nets in 1976. He’s now back with the organization as an ambassador and Director of Community Affairs.
Love’s No. 10 jersey was the second jersey number retired by the franchise. He’s third in Bulls history in points and points per game. In addition to his terrific play on the court, Love is also an example of perseverance for overcoming a severe stuttering problem that he had dealt with since childhood.