Many thought the Utah Jazz would go the other way, but Kevin Love is sticking around with the team. Besides being the oldest player on the team (by a wife margin), Love is also not much younger than Jazz head coach Will Hardy. Even crazier than that though is that Hardy and Love played against each other at one point.
Hardy admitted during Jazz Media Day that he and Love faced off against each other during an AAU game back in his younger days.
Will Hardy says he played against Kevin Love in AAU.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 29, 2025
He says it's nice to have someone on the team who is his same age, and expects Kevin to be a real leader for the team this year. #takenote | @kslsports | @utahjazz
Hardy is several months older than Love, but obviously his days as a player didn't go nearly as far as Love's did. While Love went on to become one of the NBA's best players at his peak, Hardy played for four years for Williams college, though his career as a player never went past that. Luckily his calling was clearly as a coach, but it's funny to see how their individual paths got them to this point.
While Love won't be a fixture in the Jazz's rotation, he could be a good voice to have beside Hardy in the locker room. Because the two are so close in age, that could be really helpful for the Jazz's youth in the long-term.
Love responded to Hardy's admission about playing against each other
In a shocking media day twist, Love was the first Jazzman to arrive at the podium, directly after Hardy's press conference ended. Among the first questions asked of him was about his one game against Hardy in AAU. Hardy himself said he's sure Love has forgotten about that, given how long it's been, and while Love pretty much confirmed as such, he also made one thing clear.
Kevin Love says he doesn't remember the game:
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 29, 2025
"I know one thing is for certain, they lost."
Love's AAU team went a perfect 45-0. https://t.co/BtemwnSmeL
It all makes sense since Love went on to become an NBA star while Hardy has become a coaching star. It's amazing to think how much time has passed. It was probably around that time that the Jazz were going through the peak of the Deron Williams era. It's funny to think of how long ago that was.
Anyway, it appears Love will be in Utah for some time, though no one will know exactly for how long. There will be plenty of rumors and trade speculation, but there's nothing too bad about him taking more of a mentorship role as a Jazzman.
Given that Love isn't the player that he once, that could be what keeps him in the show for a few extra years. If that helps catapult Utah to a contender not too long from now, then that could make trading for him look all the smarter.