Kobe Bryant Set To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame In 2020 Class

The Basketball Hall of Fame has announced that they plan to ignore the regular election process and induct NBA legend Kobe Bryant into Hall Of Fame.

In a recent statement by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hall of Fame chairman, Jerry Colangelo has confirmed that Kobe will lead the 2020 class, which might also include Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

According to him, it will most likely be the most epic class with legendary basketballers in it.

He added that it is the kind of honor that Kobe Bryant deserves.

Jerry wrote, “Kobe Bryant will be a first-ballot enshrinement into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2020.

“Expected to be arguably the most epic class ever with Kobe, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett,”

“Kobe will be honored the way he should be.”

Bryant will be part of standard Hall of Fame screening process on Wednesday, with finalists in February at All-Star break and formal inductees at the Final 4 in April.”

The LA Lakers legend died in a tragic helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on Sunday.

R.I.P Kobe.

Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Bryant played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, ranks fourth on the league’s all-time regular season scoring, and ranks fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons. According to Forbes, Bryant’s net worth was estimated at $350 million in 2016.

Bryant died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, were also killed.

Bryant was born in Philadelphia, the youngest of three children and only son of former NBA player Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. He was also the maternal nephew of basketball player John “Chubby” Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. His middle name, Bean, was derived from his father’s nickname “Jellybean”. Bryant was raised Catholic. When Bryant was six, his father retired from the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball at a lower level. After two years they moved first to Reggio Calabria and then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. Kobe became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian. He was especially fond of Reggio Emilia, which he considered a loving place and where his best childhood memories were made.