Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in late January, was scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August. But the ceremony was postponed for a year because of the coronavirus.
Kobe Bryant’s posthumous arrival in the NBA Hall of Fame, scheduled for August, has been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. His induction was scheduled for August 29 at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Massachusetts.
“We’re canceling, no doubt,” Hall of Fame Chairman Jerry Colangelo told ESPN on Wednesday. “It’s going to have to happen in the first quarter of next year,” he added, adding that the Hall of Fame board “will meet in the coming weeks and consider options for how, when and where.”
Duncan and Garnett will also be inducted
Bryant, who died on January 26 at age 41 in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, was among nine names in the 2020 class, including former San Antonio player Tim Duncan, a five-time NBA champion, and Kevin Garnett, the 2008 Boston champion.
A five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was a three-time NBA Finals MVP and 18-time All-Star all-star in a two-decade career in California. “This is an incredible accomplishment and honour, we are extremely proud of him. Every step in his athletic career has been a springboard to be here,” his wife Vanessa said in April when the future players inducted into the U.S. basketball pantheon were announced.
