Caleb Love inducted into McKale Center Ring of Honor amid breakout NBA season

Saturday was the Day of Love. 

It was Valentine's Day, but it was also the day former Arizona star Caleb Love was inducted into the McKale Center Ring of Honor and became immortalized in the rafters of the arena he played in for two seasons.

The former Pac-12 Player of the Year, who is the only player in program history to be named a first-team All-Pac-12 and All-Big 12 selection, said the honor "means the world."

"It's a blessing," Love told reporters leading up to No. 1 Arizona's battle with 16th-ranked Texas Tech. "I thank the man above for getting me to this point. It's been a long journey for me, the ups and downs and everything in between. I wouldn't trade it for nothing. The decision to come to Arizona is one of the best decisions I made."

Former UA forward Trey Townsend was in attendance for Love's Ring of Honor ceremony. Love was also a special guest on ESPN's "College GameDay" early Saturday morning. 

Nowadays, Love is a rookie in the NBA and is one of the Portland Trail Blazers' top reserve players, averaging 11.3 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. Love is averaging the ninth-most points among rookies in the NBA this season — the most for an undrafted player. Love has scored 20-plus points in eight games this season, including a 26-point performance against the Golden State Warriors. 

Love's early success in the NBA could be a surprise to many. Not him. 

"It wasn't proving people wrong, it was proving myself right and believing in myself to continue to put in the work and trust my work and go out there and perform to the best of my ability," Love said. "I definitely turned some heads and maybe did some things that people didn't think I was capable of. I'm still trying to prove myself and continue to stamp my name. I think that's something that's important for me." 

Love's former coach at Arizona believed in him, too. When Love was preparing for the NBA Draft in June, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said he was "100% sure" Love would stick in the NBA, even as an undrafted two-way player.

“I think the right person is … going to make a well-informed basketball decision, and they’re going to be like, ‘Caleb Love is really talented. I don’t know how many guys can go out and score 35 points, easy, on Duke,’” Lloyd said in June. “I mean, he showed you something there. He might be a little inconsistent but I know there’s not too many guys that can do that.

“And sometimes when you’re evaluating and building a team, when a guy shows you his ceiling, you pay attention: ‘Wow. He can score 35 on Duke in an NCAA Tournament game? Let’s dig deeper on this one,’ and then figure out, ‘How can I get this guy to hit his ceiling more often? And how can I raise his floor?’ That’s what those guys do."

Love, who transferred to Arizona after three seasons at North Carolina, credits his NBA success to playing under Lloyd in Tucson.

"I thank Tommy a lot," Love said. "He runs an NBA-style offense with how fast-paced it is, heavy ball screens and stuff like that. I definitely give him a lot of credit — and the whole coaching staff with how they run things. As far as the player development side, that definitely translates from here to the league. This program and what Tommy has built so far, it is definitely going to help you get to the league, for sure." 

Love contemplated leaving Arizona after his first season at the UA, but after going through the pre-draft process, he opted to return for one more year in Tucson. Love said he learned to "be more sharp on a lot of things and get to your spots. On the defensive end, you gotta be able to guard at the next level." 

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Plus, it was a chance for Love to somewhat redeem his UA career after a disappointing finish to the 2023-24 season, where he shot 20.7% from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament — and 20.5% from the field to end the regular season. Love led the Wildcats to another Sweet 16 appearance last season; in the process, he knocked down a 60-foot game-tying shot in Arizona's overtime win over No. 3 Iowa State — a historical moment in McKale Center lore. 

Even though Love is no longer a Wildcat, "I've been watching every game." Sometimes he'll check his phone during halftime of Portland's games to check UA scores, "because I'm so invested in it and I'm so happy to see the start we've had."

"This is always going to be home," Love said. 

Love keeps tabs on his old team, but his primary focus is evolving as an NBA player and receiving a multi-year contract; he's currently under a one-year, two-way contract that's worth over $600,000. 

Trail Blazers legend and 13-year NBA guard Damian Lillard, who is considered one of the best players in franchise history, is a "big help of mine," Love said. Lillard is out for the season with a torn Achilles, but is mentoring the Portland guards. Love was 10 years old when the Trail Blazers drafted Lillard. 

"He's been the OG of my generation," Love said. "That's my favorite player, so having him by my side, giving me tips and pointers on things that can help me, that's been a great resource for me." 

Every NBA player has their welcome-to-the-NBA moment — Love's moment was "probably coming off the bench," he said.

"I've never come off the bench my whole life," he added. "I got DNPs, so that was different. On the positive side, probably going head-to-head with Steph (Curry) and Golden State. That was another one." 

Love rewired his brain to role-player mode. He went from being the guy at Arizona, to clawing his way to keep a roster spot. It was a challenge, but "you just gotta be a pro," Love said.

"Just gotta be professional about it," he said. "You can't look down and feel sorry for yourself or saying 'I deserve this, I deserve that.' It's a business at the end of the day and you gotta come in and be a professional. You always gotta adjust. Your role could change on a night-to-night basis, especially with me. I may need to score more this night or I may need to facilitate more. Or maybe I just need to play defense this night, picking up full-court, things like that.

"It's definitely been an adjustment, for sure, but the more and more I get games under my belt, the more I feel comfortable." 

Entering the second half of the NBA season, following NBA All-Star Weekend, the Trail Blazers are ninth in the Western Conference with a 27-29 record. Love said his focus to end the season is "not playing with pressure, just going out there and hooping."

"I know that's easier said than done," said Love. "I put a lot of pressure on myself the last few years trying to perform to the best of my ability. When I play free, I think that's when I'm at my best. Just taking that pressure off me and going out there to do what I do."