Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant headlines Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2020 candidates.
San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan, Minnesota Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett, and former Miami Heat player Chris Bosh are also among numerous candidates.
The finalists will be announced during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago (February) and the inductees will later be unveiled during the Final Four in Atlanta (April) now.
After a 60-point career finale against the Utah Jazz to conclude the 2015-16 NBA season, Bryant’s next stop was Springfield, Massachusetts once he became eligible.
Originally the No. 13 pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Bryant was shortly traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac where he spent his entire 20 seasons there.
Highlighted by the five championships in seven NBA Finals appearances, Bryant is a one-time NBA Most Valuable Player and two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player just to name a few of his individual and team accomplishments.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles #Lakers:
5X NBA champion,
2X NBA Finals MVP,
1X NBA MVP,
18X NBA All-Star,
4X NBA All-Star Game MVP,
11X All-NBA First Team,
9X NBA All-Defensive First Team,
2X NBA scoring champion,
1X NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion,
1X Oscars winner,
& 1X Emmy winner. pic.twitter.com/dfkzuFVUPY— Dan Duangdao (@DanDuangdao) November 18, 2019
Before Bryant is officially inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Lakers retired his Nos. 8 and 24 jerseys during the 2017-18 season. And as part of the team’s tradition, he will eventually get his own statue in front of Staples Center.
As the third-leading scorer in NBA history, Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 1,346 games.