Late Lakers great Bryant remembered on eve of Hall of Fame induction
- 3 years ago
WASHIGNTON: Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant loomed large on Friday (May 14), the eve of his posthumous induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame alongside NBA greats Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
The trio are among nine members of the 2020 Hall of Fame class who are being belatedly inducted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The celebration is being held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, to better allow for social distancing.
But the actual Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, is also unveiling a special exhibit honoring Bryant that president John Doleva believes will be come the "most talked about" exhibit at the shrine.
"The family had a time to think about what they wanted to do," Doleva said at Friday's pre-induction news conference.
"It's about Kobe's accomplishments but also about what Kobe was after he left the Lakers, after he left basketball."
NBA icon Michael Jordan, who spoke movingly at Bryant's memorial service last year after the superstar was killed on January 26, 2020 in a helicopter crash, will honor Bryant at the induction ceremony, where those being enshrined are traditionally introduced by someone close to them.
Bryant was on the mind of his fellow inductees as well.
"Your greatest competition brings the best out of you," said Duncan, who spent all of his 19 NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, winning five championships. "And that's what he always did."
Duncan's Spurs and Bryant's Lakers met in the NBA playoffs seven times over the course of their careers.
Source: CNA
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