Kobe Bryant Gets His Roses, Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame

Nearly three months after the passing of Kobe Bryant, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Saturday that the Laker legend will join Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings, and others as new inductees, the Washington Post reports.

This announcement was originally scheduled to be released during the NCAA’s Final Four weekend in Atlanta. However, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to worsen, the tournament was ultimately canceled, thus prompting the early announcement. The NBA had anticipated resuming play by July, but optimism is fading quickly. The league is considering a couple of playoff scenarios and officials are even discussing whether it’s time to hit the brakes on this season altogether.

Despite uncertainty about the league or the pandemic, tickets to the August 29 Hall of Fame ceremony are still on sale. Other Hall of Fame ceremonies, including veterans committee selections and the Early African American Pioneer Committee, have been postponed until 2021.