UNCASVILLE, Conn.: The late Kobe Bryant was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020 on Saturday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend tragically died in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on January 26, 2020.
The inductees of a group of nine got their delayed and long-awaited “enshrinement” on Saturday night, more than a year after being announced as the Hall’s Class of 2020.
The others among nine inductees were former Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan. Alos joining in the class were three-time NCAA champion coach Kim Mulkey, two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich, four-time Olympic Gold medalist Tamika Catchings, three-time Final Four coach Eddie Sutton, 1,000-game winner Barbara Stevens and longtime FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann.
Kobe’s wife Vanessa and their oldest daughter Natalia accepted the Hall of Fame shirt and ring as a part of the emotional tribute.
Kobe was considered among the greatest players to have played the game, as he won NBA Championships for the Los Angeles Lakers five times, was a part of the All-Star, All-NBA Team and All-Defensive Team, 18, 15 and 12 times respectively, apart from being the 2008 MVP and the MVP in two finals. He was ranked fourth in the all-time regular season and post-season scoring.
