LONGEVITY is a rare trait in professional sports, but for one NBA star, a fish-forward diet has seemed to have helped.
At 35 years young, Miami Heat forward Kevin Love is still going strong as he enters his sixteenth season.
A five-time NBA All-Star, it took a while before Love found his ideal playing weight.
Originally drafted out of UCLA fifth overall in 2008 by the Memphis Grizzlies before being dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the rookie stood tall at 6-foot-8 and 255 pounds.
Love was named to the NBA's All-Rookie Second-Team that year, but it took until his third season to reach his first All-Star game.
After six seasons and three All-Star appearances in Minnesota, Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Love slimmed down to 240 pounds expecting the Cavaliers to run him heavily - a move which ultimately backfired.
"I thought we'd run, run, run, and I'd need to be really slender," he told Sports Illustrated in 2016, adding: "I got too skinny."
He changed his diet once more in the coming years, telling Business Insider during his eighth and final full season in Ohio that fatty fish had played a key role in his longevity.
"I eat a lot of fatty fish, and, being from the Pacific Northwest, my diet consists of a lot of salmon," Love explained.
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"I find that everyone's diet is unique to themselves. For me, it's all about eating foods that keep inflammation down and provide me with energy for the grind of an NBA season.
"I also make sure to avoid excessive carbohydrates and sugars."
During his time in Cleveland, Love reached the All-Star game twice and won the 2016 NBA Finals.
In February 2023, his contract was bought out by the team.
Having joined the Heat soon after, Love returned to the starting lineup having been relegated to a backup in Cleveland.
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