After a months-long delay, Kobe Bryant is finally getting enshrined into the NBA Hall of Fame.
The late basketball star, who leads the class of 2020 alongside Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, will be ushered into the HoF by fellow basketball legend Michael Jordan. Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, is also set to speak at the ceremony, which is taking place now at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
The 2020 induction comes more than 15 months after Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California. The 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time champion was elected into the HoF just several months after his death. According to the HoF, Bryant's family selected Jordan to serve as his presenter for tonight’s ceremony.
You can watch the HoF Class of 2020 inductions now on ESPN, Watch ESPN, or the ESPN app.
Jordan, who was inducted into the HoF in 2009, was among those who spoke at Bryant’s memorial service at Los Angeles’ Staples Center in February 2020.
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died,” Jordan said during his speech. “Those are the memories we have to live with and we learn from. I promise you from this day forward I will live with the memories of knowing that I tried to help my little brother in every way I could. Please rest in peace, little brother.”
The induction ceremony for the Class of 2021 will take place later this year. The full class will be announced Sunday.
