Kobe Bryant was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020 on Saturday, May 15. The prestigious ceremony was held inside the Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The five-time NBA champion was welcomed into the illustrious circle by his “big brother” Michael Jordan who was asked to do the honors by Kobe’s widow Vanessa in February.
“Last February, I called Michael and asked him if he would introduce Kobe tonight and he graciously accepted. Thank you for being here Michael. Kobe admired you. This means so much to us. He was intelligent, eloquent and gifted at many things … I know he would thank everyone who helped get him here, including those who doubted him,” Vanessa stated during her acceptance speech on her husband’s behalf.
During Bryant’s speech, she also explained why Kobe fought hard to never miss a game and played often while hurt as an ode to Jordan.
“One of the reasons he played through injury was because he remembered sitting in the nosebleeds to watch his favorite player play. He could recall the car ride and being lucky enough to have a seat. He didn’t want to disappoint his fans, especially those sitting in the 300th row who saved up to see him play… If he could help it, he would play every minute of every game. He loved you all so much,” she further commented in her speech.
Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kim Mulkey, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tamika Catchings, Eddie Sutton, Barbara Stevens and Patrick Baumann were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday as well.
The NBA also unveiled a special exhibit titled “Kobe: Basketball Life” on Friday as part of the celebration. The exhibit was designed by Vanessa and features memorabilia from Kobe’s playing days with the Lakers, including game-worn shoes and jerseys, as well as championship rings.
The display also includes numerous photographs and original art pieces in addition to Bryant’s short film, Dear Basketball, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2017, and is being played in the exhibit.
Check out Vanessa Bryant’s acceptance speech for the Black Mamba on the following page.
