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Kobe Bryant And Two Other NBA Icons Will Headline 2020 Basketball Hall Of Fame Class: Report

The trio were three of the best of their era.

The NBA season may be postponed but it isn’t stopping basketball’s Hall of Fame committee from gearing to reveal this year’s class of inductees.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the 2020 class slated to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is headlined by three megastars of their time – Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Each would be first ballot selections (all retiring in 2016) and each have won championships.

Also joining the 2020 class is former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, whose induction was initially reported by Houston’s Fox 26. Former collegiate coach Eddie Sutton will round out the ballot, according to Tulsa World. An official announcement is expected to come at noon Saturday (April 4).

Bryant, Duncan and Garnett combined to win 11 NBA championships and four MVP awards across their impressive careers. Garnett has parlayed his playing days into a career in media while Duncan is currently an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs where he’s spent his entire career in the NBA. Tragically, Bryant passed away in a helicopter accident in January, but will be inducted posthumously.

Bryant spent his 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers where he won five championships and the 2008 MVP award. His legacy was honored at subsequent NBA games, The Oscars, The Grammys, on social media, and via so many other outlets.

Duncan spent 19 seasons with the Spurs and also won five championships. He won back-to-back MVP awards in 2002 and 2003 edging out Kobe for the award both seasons. The Spurs and Lakers would come to dominate the Western Conference for over a decade beginning in the late 1990s.

Kevin Garnett played for three teams, starting with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He would, however, find the most success after he joined the Boston Celtics to create the “Big 3” in 2007. Alongside Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, Garnett won his first title in 2008, edging out Kobe’s Lakers in the Finals.

Congrats to this year’s HOF class!

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