Vanessa and Natalia Bryant, on behalf of late NBA legend Kobe, accept the Hall of Fame jacket and ring for the 2020 class. NAISMITH BASKETBALL HOF TWITTER
MANILA, Philippines — Kobe Bryant’s eldest daughter Natalia honored the late NBA superstar on Saturday on the eve of his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
During the Class of 2020 Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala at the exhibit made for the four-time NBA champion, Natalia wore the jacket that Kobe would’ve worn for the long-delayed ceremony.
Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in California in January 2020 along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett headline the Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan will present Bryant in the ceremony, which was supposed to take place last September had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bryant’s wife Vanessa will speak in his honor.
Also part of the class are two-time NBA Champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich, 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings, four-time National Coach of the Year Eddie Sutton, longtime FIBA executive Patrick Baumann, three-time NCAA National Championship Coach of Baylor Kim Mulkey and five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens.
Bryant played all of his 20 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers. He also won two Olympic gold medals.