Hall of Fame night awaits Duncan, Garnett, Bryant
The full names weren’t necessary. The first name, or even the initials, were enough. Such was the star power that Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett carried throughout their careers and still possess.
The Canadian Press
Kobe. Timmy. KG.
The full names weren’t necessary. The first name, or even the initials, were enough. Such was the star power that Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett carried throughout their careers and still possess, all of them now five years removed from their final games as NBA greats. Each was an NBA champion, an MVP, an Olympic gold medalist, annual locks for All-Star and All-Defensive teams.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Of Fame alongside two of his contemporaries,
Kevin Garnett and
Tim Duncan. Drafted two years after Bryant, Duncan earned his place in basketball folklore as arguably the greatest power forward to ever take the court. With the San Antonio Spurs, he won five NBA titles, two league MVP awards and appeared in 15 all-star games. He will be introduced by his former teammate,
David Robinson. Meanwhile, Garnett will be introduced by fellow hall of fame inductee
Isaiah Thomas. He earned the league s MVP award in 2004 and an NBA title four years later.
Tim Reynolds
FILE - Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant goes up for a dunk during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles, in this Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, file photo. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Each was an NBA champion, an MVP, an Olympic gold medalist, annual locks for All-Star and All-Defensive teams. And now, the ultimate honor comes their way: On Saturday night, May 15, 2021, in Uncasville, Connecticut, they all officially become members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) May 13, 2021 - 9:50 AM
Kobe. Timmy. KG.
This long-awaited Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend will be largely about Kobe Bryant. Of course, it won’t be solely about Bryant, nor would he have wanted it that way.
First Posted: May 11, 2021 11:42 PM EDT
Photo : Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Before the posthumous induction of the late Kobe Bryant into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, NBA legend Michael Jordan shared his final text exchange with the Lakers star before his untimely death.
Bryant s life and career have been celebrated enormously since the Lakers legend was killed in a January 2020 helicopter crash. Among those who shared their memories is Bryant s Hall of Fame presenter and an NBA icon of his own, his Airness, Michael Jordan.
According to CBS Sports, ESPN s Jackie MacMullan noted that Michael Jordan shared with him the contents of the final text messages that he and the late Lakers star exchanged in December 2019.