It was a tender moment between former teammates.
Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Tristan Thompson embraced a clearly emotional Kevin Love of the Miami Heat ahead of April 28’s playoff matchup at Kaseya Center.
It came just a day after Love shared on social media that his father, Stan Love, had died April 27. He was 76.
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Love and Thompson, who remain friends, were a part of Cleveland’s 2016 championship team.
Love had been absent from several of Miami’s games due to personal reasons.
Cleveland Cavs score, recap | Cavaliers destroy Heat by 55 points in Game 4 to sweep
In sharing the news of his passing, Love referred to his father as a “Giant. My Protector. My first Hero.”
He also referenced some rockier times during their relationship, but said “our division led me to finding myself.”
“Like all of us, my Dad was imperfect. But despite his flaws, and my own, we are a successful story of father and son,” he wrote. “… Dad, I’m so proud to be your son. My only hope is that you’re proud of me.”
Stan played college basketball at the University of Oregon before going on to have a four-year stint in professional basketball. He was the ninth pick in the 1971 NBA Draft and played for the Baltimore Bullets and Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA and the San Antonio Spurs when they were still a part of the American Basketball Association. He retired in 1975.
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In 1994, he was inducted into the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame.
The Cavaliers demolished the Heat to sweep them in Game 4 in a 138-83 stomp. The win is the largest series-clinching victory in NBA history, according to ESPN.
The Cavs are now headed to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and await either the Indiana Pacers or the Milwaukee Bucks who face off April 29 in Game 5. The Pacers lead the series 3-1.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Former Cavs star Kevin Love shares his dad Stan has died
