Kobe Bryant To Be Inducted Into 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame With Tim Duncan & Kevin Garnett

Kobe Bryant To Be Inducted Into 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame With Tim Duncan & Kevin Garnett

Three NBA superstar players will be officially welcomed into the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. According to reports on Friday (April 3rd), former players Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett will be this year’s inductees expected to be announced over the weekend.

The induction ceremony is scheduled during enshrinement weekend from Aug. 28-30. The 2020 class was initially scheduled to be revealed during the NCAA Final Four, but that plan has been obviously altered, as the tournament was cancelled due to the global outbreak of coronavirus. Kobe Bryant has been reported to be the headliner of the class following his tragic death in January.

The Basketball Hall of Fame normally has a three-year waiting period from the end of a player’s career for induction consideration. However, the obvious credentials of Bryant saw the screening committee waive that requirement.

Kobe Bryant

In his entire 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant ranks fourth in NBA history with 33,643 points, fifth in field goals made (11,719) and 12th in points per game (25.0). He also won five championships, two NBA Finals MVP and the 2007-08 NBA MVP.

Bryant, Duncan and Garnett have a combined 11 championships and 48 All-Star seasons among them. Only six players in NBA history have been selected to 15 or more All-Star Games and Bryant, Duncan and Garnett are three of them. Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo says,

“We all have criteria we look at in terms of the nominees: All-Star appearances, All-League, first team, second team, third team, the various awards, the championships. There’s a whole list of things we look at. And each year there’s usually one person who stands out with an array of all those honors. But this time, with those three, the accumulative is unbelievable.”

Duncan was a five-time NBA champion in his 19-season career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning two Finals MVPs and . the 1998  Rookie of the Year award. He also won two regular-season MVPs and was a 15-time All-Star.

Garnett, like Bryant, jumped directly to the NBA from high school in 1995. He played 22 NBA seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, winning a championship with the Celtics in 2007-2008. Garnett was a 15-time All-Star who averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds.

What is your favorite memorial of Kobe, Duncan, and Garnett? Let us know in the comments!