Heat’s Kevin Love Confirms He Intends To Return For 2025-26 Season

The veteran big man missed 59 games this season, spending some time away from the team to care for his father, Stan Love, a former NBA player who passed away over the weekend. Despite the personal hardship, Love remained a steady veteran presence for the Heat when available, contributing in limited minutes off the bench.

A five-time All-Star and 2016 NBA champion, Love averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists this season while shooting 35.8% from three-point range in 10.9 minutes per game. He played a role in Miami’s playoff push late in the year, particularly as the team battled injuries and inconsistencies.

Love’s decision to return offers the Heat some continuity in their frontcourt rotation, as the franchise heads into what could be a transitional offseason following a first-round sweep at the hands of Cleveland and the earlier-season departure of Jimmy Butler.

Miami will now wait to see whether Love’s veteran leadership — and perhaps an expanded role next year — can help stabilize a locker room that weathered its share of storms this season.