MANILA, Philippines — The late Kobe Bryant is one of the eight finalists for the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class.
Bryant, who died along with his daughter Gianna in a tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of nine people last January, was selected with seven others from almost 200 nominees.
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He is widely expected to be inducted posthumously with this class.
Your 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists. #20HoopClass pic.twitter.com/FC5vjUyHdG
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) February 14, 2020
Joining Bryant in the short list is former San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
Bryant and Duncan played their entire NBA careers with one team — Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers and Duncan with the Spurs.
Meanwhile, Kevin Garnett played for three teams in his 21-year NBA career — most notably the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics.
Along with the three NBA legends, former WNBA player Tamika Catchings is also included in the list.
Catchings played her entire 15-year career with the Indiana Fever in the WNBA and was a WNBA champion and Finals MVP in 2012.
Coach Kim Mulkey of the Baylor University Women's Basketball Team is also among the finalists.
Mulkey is the first person in NCAA women's basketball history to win a national championship as a player, assitant coach and head coach.
Former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, Division II women's coach Barbara Stevens and longtime men's college coach Eddie Sutton round up the list of the finalists.