Rodney Hood Says Kevin Love 'Definitely' Courageous for Speaking on Panic Attack

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Rodney Hood praised teammate Kevin Love for opening up recently about a panic attack he had during a game in November.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Hood said Love was "definitely" courageous for speaking out. He added: "A lot of times people don't look at us as humans, and we go through stuff all the time as well. So, I think he helped a lot of people by saying it."

On March 6, Love wrote an article for The Players' Tribune in which he discussed the panic attack and mental health awareness.

In the article, Love described the panic attack in detail, as it forced him to leave the Cavs' Nov. 5 tilt against the Atlanta Hawks shortly after halftime:

"Coach [Tyronn] Lue came up to me. I think he could sense something was wrong. I blurted something like, 'I'll be right back,' and I ran back to the locker room. I was running from room to room, like I was looking for something I couldn't find. Really I was just hoping my heart would stop racing. It was like my body was trying to say to me, 'You're about to die.' I ended up on the floor in the training room, lying on my back, trying to get enough air to breathe."

Love said he checked out fine after a trip to the Cleveland Clinic, and he mentioned being relieved that nobody knew why he exited the game.

As the 29-year-old veteran went on, though, he mentioned seeing a therapist and finding the strength to openly talk about his internal struggles.

On the court, Cleveland (40-29, third in the East) has missed Love, who suffered a broken left hand Jan. 30 and hasn't played since.

Love and Hood haven't played together yet since Hood came in as part of a pre-deadline trade, but he already seems to have a great deal of respect for the five-time All-Star.