Kobe Bryant will be inducted into the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The ceremony, which will also honor Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, will be held in August in Massachusetts.
“Expected to be arguably the most epic class ever with Kobe, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett,” Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement. “Kobe will be honored the way he should be.”
Bryant was announced dead on Sunday (Jan. 26) after his helicopter crashed into a mountain. He was on board with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people traveling to a basketball game. There were no survivors.
The NBA community is taking the loss extremely hard, especially the Lakers organization. The Lakers and Clippers have cancelled their schedule game for tomorrow (Jan. 27) following the news of his death.
According to ESPN, the Lakers organization has made grief counselors available to their employees. The organization has just released this statement. “The Los Angeles Lakers would like to thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of support and condolences. This is a very difficult time for all of us. We continue to support the Bryant family and will share more information as it is available.”
Bryant was drafted into the NBA in 1996 with the Charlotte Hornets. He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers before the start of the 96-97 season. He helped lead the Lakers to five championships and won three straight NBA titles from 1999 to 2002 alongside Shaquille O’ Neal. In 2009 and 2010, he won two championship rings alongside Pau Gasol.
He concluded his career as an “18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA team, 12-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection, two time NBA Finals MVP and the 2008 NBA MVP,” according to Fox News.
The 2020 class of nominees were announced in December and included Kobe Bryant, Muggsy Bogues, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Tim Hardaway. The 2020 Hall of Fame class will officially be announced in early April.