By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Mamba Forever.
He may be out, but Kobe Bryant will live on forever in our hearts.
Bryant, a five-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and is considered to be one of the greatest players to ever set foot on the hardwood, died in a helicopter crash last January 26, 2020, together with his daughter, Gianna Bryant.
Although Bryant’s untimely passing makes it hard to celebrate him finally entering into the Hall of Fame, his enshrinement was expected.
“Obviously, we wish that he was here with us to celebrate. 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. So we’re incredibly proud of him,” Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife, told the ESPN in an interview.
Alongside Bryant, two of the best power-forwards of all time, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, will be joining him to be honored as one of basketball’s legends.
Garnett, a former NBA MVP with the Minnesota Timberwolves and a champion with the Boston Celtics, is the only player to tally at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 blocks, and 1,500 steals.
“This is the culmination. All those hours … this is what you do it for, right here. To be able to be called ‘Hall of Famer’ is everything,” Garnett said.
On the other hand, Duncan, who is a loyal San Antonio Spur since he got drafted back in 1997, led the Spurs to five hard-fought championships and is tagged as “the greatest Spur of all time.”
“It’s kind of the end of the journey here. It was an incredible career that I enjoyed so much. To call it a dream come true isn’t even doing any justice to it. I never dreamt I’d be at this point,” Duncan said.
