Robert Earl Love (nicknamed Butterbean after his favorite food) grew up in
Louisiana with thirteen brothers and sisters. Bob's basketball career began
with a coat hanger hoop nailed to the side of his grandmother's home. In his
imagination, Bob played everyday against the greatest basketball players in the
world.
As he grew to a six foot eight high school senior, Bob's dreams of being a
great athlete became real. He was the first player from Southern University in
Louisiana to be named to the All-American Team by the National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics. After college, Bob played for the Cincinnati Royals
basketball team and was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and then to the
Chicago Bulls.
He played with the Chicago Bulls for eight seasons from 1969 to 1976. For seven
straight years he was the Bulls leading scorer and is the second highest scorer
in Bulls history.
In spite of all his success as an athlete, Bob was not able to do something
that everyone else seemed to do easily. He dreamed of being able to talk
without stuttering. All his life, Bob stumbled over words and often couldn't
say anything at all.
When Bob retired from basketball he tried for seven years to find a steady job
and, in 1984, was hired as a dishwasher for $4.45 an hour. Bob worked as hard
on his dream of being able to talk as he had worked on basketball. Finally, at
the age of 45 he found a speech therapist who helped him learn to speak without
struggling.
Bob is now the Community Relations Director for his former team, the Chicago
Bulls. He visits with schoolchildren and other community groups and tells
everyone that dreams can come true.
If It's To Be, It's Up To Me
Few life stories are as dramatic as Bob Love's. After injuring his back in an
NBA game, doctors told him he would never walk again. The odds just seemed to
be stacked against him.
Unable to speak, Bob tried for seven years to find a steady job and in 1984,
found work as a dishwasher for measly wages. While at work, Bob found a speech
therapist who helped him learn to speak. At the age of 45, Bob realized his
dream of being able to speak without stuttering.
The Chicago Bulls heard about Bob's success and offered him the job of Director
of Community Relations. He would now earn a salary speaking about the Bulls and
life in general, something he never thought would be possible.
