Kevin Garnett called it the culmination of his career, the reward for the tireless intensity that he patrolled the court with. Tim Duncan called it the end of his journey as a basketball player. And Vanessa Bryant, pain still coating each of her words, called it an incredible honor for someone who she wishes was still here to celebrate.
On Saturday, the obvious became official, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant headlining one of the greatest Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame classes ever, joining Duncan and Garnett — two of the players with whom he defined a generation of basketball.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 29 in Springfield, Mass.
While Duncan and Garnett spoke to ESPN on behalf of their careers after the announcement was made, Bryant’s widow and daughter Natalia had to speak for him.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment and honor. And we’re really proud of him. Obviously, we wish that he was here with us to celebrate,” Vanessa Bryant said. “But it’s definitely the peak of his NBA career. And every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a steppingstone to be here. We’re incredibly proud of him. There’s some solace in knowing he was probably going to be a part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class.”
Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among the nine victims of a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
“Kobe was always one to downplay his professional accomplishments — MVPs, NBA championships, gold medals, Oscars, and on and on and on,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “But all of us can trust that this Basketball Hall of Fame honor is one Kobe would, and will, deeply appreciate. The highest of congratulations to you, dear friend. This one is so well deserved — for all the hard work, sweat and toil. Now, a part of you will live in the Hall with the rest of the all-time greats, where your legend and spirit will continue to grow forever.”
Bryant, Duncan and Garnett scored 86,210 points over 60 combined NBA seasons, winning 11 NBA titles, four most valuable player awards and combining for 48 All-Star appearances. Add in Tamika Catchings, a former WNBA MVP and 10-time All-Star, and no class of players has ever been more decorated.
1/38
Lakers star Kobe Bryant pauses for a moment as confetti streams down at the Staples Center following his final game on April 13, 2016. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
2/38
Kobe Bryant, the teenager obtained by the Lakers in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets, takes part in an ad shoot for Adidas at Will Rogers State Beach. (Los Angeles Times)
3/38
Kobe Bryant was already shooting his first commercial before taking his first shot for the Lakers. (Los Angeles Times)
4/38
Laker rookie Kobe Bryant, 18, listens to coach Del Harris during a break in a 129-99 victory over the Washington Bullets at the Forum. Bryant scored 13 points. (Los Angeles Times)
5/38
Kobe Bryant drives against Utah center Greg Ostertag in the Western Conference Finals at the Forum in Inglewood. Utah won 109-98 to give the Jazz a 3-0 lead in the series. (Paul Morse / Los Angeles Times)
6/38
Kobe Bryant is dejected after losing the ball late in the second half of Game 3 of the 1999 Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs at the Forum. The Lakers lost, 103-91, giving the Spurs a 3-0 advantage in the series. The Spurs went on to win the series 4-0. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
7/38
Kobe Bryant drives past Chris Webber in Game 4 of the first round of the 2000 Western Conference playoffs at Arco Arena in Sacramento. The Kings won, 101-88, but the Lakers went on to win the series in five games and advanced to face the Phoenix Suns in the next round. (Bob Galbraith / Associated Press)
8/38
Despite Jason Kidd’s hand in his face, Kobe Bryant puts up the winning shot in the Lakers’ 97-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at Staples Arena. The Lakers won the series, 4-1. (K.C. Alfred / Associated Press)
9/38
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had a moment to relax after winning their first title together in the 2000 NBA Finals. The two kicked back after a 116-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 at Staples Center. Bryant is holding the championship trophy and O’Neal has his Finals MVP trophy. (Paul Morse / Los Angeles Times)
10/38
Kobe Bryant performs on stage at the House of Blues in West Hollywood in 2000 during a celebration of the launch of his record label, Heads High Entertainment. (Clarence Williams / Los Angeles Times)
11/38
Kobe Bryant is swarmed by teammates Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and Shaquille O’Neal as he heads to the foul line in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Bryant scored 45 points as the Lakers beat the Spurs, 104-90, on their way to a sweep of the series. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
12/38
Kobe Bryant goes up for a dunk in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 3 of the 2001 Western Conference finals at Staples Center. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
13/38
Lakers players Kobe Bryant, left, Lindsey Hunter and Shaquille O’Neal celebrate their NBA title victory over the New Jersey Nets on June 12, 2002. (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)
14/38
Kobe Bryant, with his wife, Vanessa, at his side, holds a news conference at Staples Center in 2003 to discuss accusations by a 19-year-old Colorado woman that he sexually assaulted her. He conceded he was guilty of adultery, but he declared he was innocent of charges of felonious sexual assault. The charges were later dropped. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
15/38
Los Angeles Lakers Karl Malone, left, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Shaquille O’Neal before their preseason opener with the Los Angeles Clippers. It was Bryant’s first game since sexual assault charges were filed against him in Colorado. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
16/38
Kobe Bryant, left, looks at his defense attorney Pamela Mackey as he is advised by Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett during his felony sexual assault hearing in Eagle, Colo., on Aug. 6, 2003. (Barry Gutierrez / Associated Press)
17/38
Hours after pleading not guilty to a felony sexual assault charge in Colorado, an exhausted Kobe Bryant is congratulated by teammate Derek Fisher after the Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 98-90, in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals at the Staples Center. Bryant scored 42 points as the Lakers tied the series at 2-2. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
18/38
Kobe Bryant writhes in pain after injuring his right ankle during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 13, 2005, in Los Angeles. Bryant was injured when he landed awkwardly on his right foot while going for a rebound under the Cavaliers’ basket and had to be helped off the court. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
19/38
Kobe Bryant and his new backcourt partner, William “Smush” Parker, during a 2005 preseason game against Utah at the Anaheim Pond. (Los Angeles Times)
20/38
Lakers star Kobe Bryant stands next to coach Phil Jackson during a playoff game against the Phoenix Suns in April 2006. (Matt York / Associated Press)
21/38
Kobe Bryant walks off the court with his wife, Vanessa, and daughter Natalia after scoring a career-high 81 points in a Lakers win over the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center on Jan. 22, 2006. (Noah Graham / NBAE/Getty Images)
22/38
Lakers star Kobe Bryant scores in front of Toronto’s Matt Bonner on his way to scoring 81 points during the Lakers’ 122-104 victory on Jan. 22, 2006. (Matt A. Brown / Associated Press)
23/38
Kobe Bryant celebrates the Lakers’ victory over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
24/38
Kobe Bryant celebrates after winning his fourth NBA title following the Lakers’ win over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals. (Emmanuel Dunand /AFP/Getty Images)
25/38
Kobe Bryant celebrates the Lakers’ Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals at Staples Center. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
26/38
Kobe Bryant holds the NBA championship trophy during the team’s 2010 NBA title victory parade. (David McNew / Getty Images)
27/38
Kobe Bryant shows off what he can do with a basketball during an event in Milan, Italy, in September 2011. (Luca Bruno / Associated Press)
28/38
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant goes up for a shot over New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler during a game in December 2011. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
29/38
U.S. players Kevin Durant, left, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant celebrate after winning the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. (Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
30/38
Kobe Bryant writhes in pain after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during a game against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2013. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
31/38
Kobe Bryant warms up before playing against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 8, 2013, in his first game back from a torn Achilles tendon. (Harry How / Getty Images)
32/38
Kobe Bryant is congratulated by teammates after passing Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 14, 2014. (Jeff Wheeler / TNS)
33/38
Lakers star Kobe Bryant goes to hug his family after his final NBA game on April 13, 2016. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
34/38
Kobe Bryant poses with his family after getting his jerseys retired before a game between the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on Dec. 18, 2017. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
35/38
Lakers legend Kobe Bryant walks off the court after his jersey retirement ceremony at the Staples Center in 2017. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
36/38
Kobe Bryant smiles after winning an Academy Award for best animated short film for “Dear Basketball” on March 4, 2018. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
37/38
Kobe Bryant shares a laugh with his daughter Gianna while attending a women’s basketball game between Long Beach State and Oregon on Dec. 14, 2019. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
38/38
Lakers star Kobe Bryant watches a tribute video at Staples Center before the final game of his career on April 13, 2016. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
And Bryant is a common thread through all of their careers.
Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs and Bryant’s Lakers met seven times in the playoffs between 1999 and 2013, with the Lakers winning four of those series. Bryant followed Garnett into the NBA, skipping college to play professionally right after high school one season apart. Later, they’d split a pair of NBA Finals in a three-season span in the most recent chapter of the Lakers-Boston Celtics storied championship rivalry.
And Bryant and Catchings were longtime friends dating back to their childhoods in Italy, when they were the children of American professional basketball players working overseas.
“I can guarantee you neither one of us thought that our careers and all the things that happened in our lives would’ve happened the way that they did,” Catchings said on the announcement show. “… Man, this is just the perfect ending to a book. … Over the years, it’s crazy that if you look at both of our careers how many things overlap.”
Bryant and Catchings were gold medalists in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Even longtime Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, one of four coaches in the 2020 class, worked with Bryant during a 43-game stint with the Lakers in 2005 before his retirement.
Tomjanovich is joined by four-time college coach of the year Eddie Sutton, three-time NCAA women’s champion Kim Mulkey and five-time Division II women’s national coach of the year Barbara Stevens.
FIBA executive Patrick Baumann, who died in 2018, also was elected by the international committee.
But no member of the class is bigger than Bryant, a legendary figure whose unexpected death sent the basketball world into mourning. From the on-court tributes in the immediate aftermath of his death, to an All-Star game with his fingerprints all over it and to a star-filled memorial inside a packed Staples Center, Bryant’s legacy has been celebrated all year.
And come late August, it’ll be celebrated once again.
“No amount of words can fully describe what Kobe Bryant meant to the Los Angeles Lakers,” team owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “Kobe was not only a proven winner and a champion, he gave everything he had to the game of basketball. His fierce competitiveness, work ethic and drive were unmatched. Those qualities helped Kobe lead us to five titles — and have now brought him to the Hall of Fame, where he will be enshrined with the greatest to have ever played the game.
“No one deserves it more.”
