Kobe Bryant Inducted Into Basketball Hall Of Fame

Just over two months after dying along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a tragic helicopter crash, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Bryant has been inducted alongside Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett in what the Washington Post described as a long-anticipated move.

In a long-anticipated move, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Saturday that the NBA legends, who combined for 11 championships and four MVP awards, will be inducted together as the 2020 class. That Hall of Fame class also includes women’s star Tamika Catchings and coaches Kim Mulkey, Barbara Stevens, Eddie Sutton and Rudy Tomjanovich. Executive Patrick Baumann was also inducted.

The Hall of Fame’s annual announcement of inductees was scheduled to be made at the NCAA’s Final Four weekend in Atlanta, but the novel coronavirus pandemic prompted the tournament’s cancellation. Despite uncertainty about the public health crisis, tickets to the Aug. 29 enshrinement ceremony remain on sale at the Hall of Fame’s website. The televised festivities, typically held in a large symphony hall in front of a crowd filled with basketball greats, have not yet been postponed or canceled.

Bryant’s selection comes less than three months after his death in a helicopter crash at 41. A five-time NBA champion during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant earned 18 all-star selections, was named 2007-08 MVP and twice led the league in scoring. He entered the NBA straight out of high school as a 1996 lottery pick and retired in 2016, closing his career with a memorable 60-point game against the Utah Jazz. A 6-foot-6 shooting guard who modeled his game after Michael Jordan’s, Bryant ultimately surpassed his hero on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Jordan paid tribute to Bryant during a public memorial in February, referring to him as a “dear friend” and a “little brother.”

The news was officially leaked last night, but the official announcement from the hall of fame came Saturday morning.

Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball @Hoophall Class of 2020, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Formal announcements will be made on Saturday.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 3, 2020

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Though nothing can comfort Bryant’s family and friends, we hope the honor will give fans another occasion to celebrate the legendary shooting guard.