Kobe Bryant officially enshrined in Basketball Hall of Fame
MANILA, Philippines — The late Kobe Bryant and the rest of the 2020 Class have been officially enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).
Bryant, who is joined by fellow NBA legends Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett in the Class, was posthumously inducted into the Hall where he was represented by his widow Vanessa, along with Michael Jordan who was the one to induct the five-time NBA champion.
It has become a tradition for fellow Hall of Famers to induct the latest class — and Jordan was the perfect candidate for Bryant as the two had careers that intertwined.
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— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) May 16, 2021
Vanessa made the speech on behalf of her late husband who died in a plane crash in Calabasas, California, along with his daughter Gigi and seven others in January 2020.
"Congratulations baby, all of your hard work and dedication paid off. You did it, you are in the Hall of Fame now," Vanessa said.
Though known for his basketball accomplishment, the Bryant matriarch also commended Kobe's role outside of basketball in the speech.
"Kobe's most cherished accomplishment was being the very best girl dad," Vanessa said.
Joining Bryant, Duncan, and Garnett in the Class is Coaches Eddie Sutton and Rudy Tomjanovich, WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, three-time NCAA National Championship Coach Kim Mulkey, five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens, and longtime FIBA executive Patrick Baumann.
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