Miami Heat star Kevin Love had a good excuse for missing the team’s team flight to Denver ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday.
The All-Star center and his wife, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Bock, welcomed a baby on Saturday.
Love then flew to Denver on his own and made it in time for the Heat’s film session and media availability on Sunday, when he revealed Bock and the couple’s new bundle of joy are doing well.
“Definitely need to get some rest now, get some sleep,” Love said during the media session. “Everybody’s happy and healthy.”
Love will suit up for a must-win Game 5 on Monday in the Mile High City, where the Nuggets currently hold a commanding 3-1 lead.
Should Denver top Miami, the Nuggets could bring the city its first NBA championship.
Only one team in the history of the NBA has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals — and Love was a part of it.
The 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers successfully rallied back from a 3-1 hole to defeat the Golden State Warriors.
Love’s new role might give him some added motivation ahead of Monday’s elimination game.
He and Bock have yet to share their son’s name.
Bock showed off her baby bump in a form-fitting black gown in April, when she attended the reopening of Tiffany & Co.’s iconic flagship store in New York City.
At the time, the couple had not announced they were expecting.
The Canadian model has not yet commented publicly on the birth of their son.
Love and Bock tied the knot at the New York Public Library in June 2022 in a “Great Gatsby”-inspired celebration.
The couple’s nuptials featured a star-studded guest list, including LeBron James and his wife, Savannah.
Love proposed to Bock in January 2021, one day after she celebrated her 33rd birthday.
The fairly private pair had met five years prior after shooting in New York with the same photographer, who introduced them.
Love signed with the Heat in February after reaching a contract buyout with the Cavaliers.
The veteran forward is averaging 8.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in the 2023 Finals.
Heat guard Tyler Herro, who was officially upgraded to questionable on Monday, is expected to attempt to play in Game 5, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Herro has been sidelined with a broken right hand he sustained in Game 1 of the Heat’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks in April.
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