National Basketball Association

Rise of the machines? Kevin Love's new (non-human) opponent

Published Mar. 18, 2015 1:20 p.m. ET

Connor Kiesel

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is receiving on-court "challenges" from all sorts of places -- and the latest is even more unique.

After being challenged to a game of H.O.R.S.E. by New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker in a recently rolled out ad for a jeans company, Love's next opponent is of the non-human variety.

Love's now a spokesperson for Chocolate Milk (that's a brand, not just a calcium-carrying item, hence the capitalization) and a new 30-second ad features him testing his rebounding skills at the mercy of a robot.

"The art of rebounding is you have to assume everything is a miss," Love says in his voiceover. Whatever he's building thanks to his new fuel is certainly paying dividends on the boards, as Love ranks just outside the top 10 in the NBA with 10.1 per game.

Besides grabbing rebounds fired from a fearsome-looking robot, Love is keeping plenty busy with other campaigns, including sponsorship deals with Starter, the aforementioned jeans maker Buffalo David Bitton and a spot on the cover of March's GQ magazine.