How a Panic Attack Led Kevin Love to Launch a Free Mental Health Curriculum

In a candid LinkedIn Live conversation with Elevance Health Chief Health Officer Dr. Shantanu Agrawal, professional basketball player and Elevance Health Champion Kevin Love spoke about his journey from youth basketball prodigy to mental health advocate. He reflected on the pressures of professional sports, the pivotal moment that changed the way he viewed mental health concerns, and the steps he’s taken to support people with similar experiences.
 

A Panic Attack on the Basketball Court

Love recounted how, in late 2017, he experienced a panic attack during a game in Cleveland. After feeling mounting anxiety and “rising panic” that he’d buried for years, he retreated to the locker room gasping for air. He ended up at the Cleveland Clinic, where doctors assured him that his heart was fine but emphasized the need to manage his anxiety going forward. This experience—on a public stage—became the turning point that convinced him he couldn’t keep silent any longer. Several months later, Love published a letter he titled “Everyone Is Going Through Something” in which he shared what happened on the court in 2017 and detailed his belief that, at 29, he didn’t know himself as well as he thought he did.
 

Embracing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Love sought professional help and began working with a therapist at the Cleveland Clinic, embracing cognitive behavioral therapy. He described the initial discomfort of “not knowing what to say,” then the growth in confidence and self-awareness that followed. Over the past six to seven years, he learned from therapy how to better express his vulnerability, practice self-compassion, and even say “I love you” more freely to his wife and daughter.
 

The Kevin Love Fund: Free Mental Health Curriculum for Schools

Moved by the outpouring of support after sharing his story, Love founded the Kevin Love Fund in 2018. The Fund offers entirely free, evidence-based mental health curriculum to any school that requests it. Teachers undergo specialized training so they can help to guide students through creative outlets—like writing, photography, and music—that support them in identifying and articulating their emotions. To date, the program has reached more than 100,000 students worldwide.
 

Creating Awareness and Eliminating Stigma

Throughout the interview with Agrawal, Love emphasized that talking openly about mental health is positive for both individuals and communities. He stressed that only by acknowledging our own “darkness” can we truly help others, and that athletes, parents, and professionals alike share a responsibility to model vulnerability. His closing message was clear: ask people if they’re okay, be kind to yourself and others, and use your platform—no matter how big or small—to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and educate.