Mourners pay tribute to Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers fans gather at the Staples Center to remember the life of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant who was killed in helicopter crash in Southern California; William La Jeunesse reports.
Kobe Bryant is expected to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility following his tragic death in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday.
Basketball Hall of Fame Chairman Jerry Colangelo told The Athletic that the 2020 class will be one of the best and is expected to include Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.
“Expected to be arguably the most epic class ever with Kobe, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett,” Colangelo told The Athletic. “Kobe will be honored the way he should be.”
According to The Athletic, Bryant will be a part of the standard screening process for possible Hall of Fame inductees on Wednesday. The finalists will be named in February during NBA All-Star Weekend and the formal inductees will be announced at the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four in April.
Bryant, Garnett and Duncan were the only names mentioned.
The Basketball Hall of Fame announced in December that Chris Bosh, Shawn Merion, Michael Finley, Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash were among the finalists.
Enshrinement will take place in Springfield, Mass., on Aug. 29.
Bryant was among at least eight others, including his daughter, a baseball coach and his family and another basketball coach, in Calabasas on Sunday.
