What everybody was expecting has finally become a reality. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett will all be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2020 after dominating the league for two decades.
Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news a couple of minutes ago and added that the formal announcement will be made on Saturday.
Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball @Hoophall Class of 2020, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Formal announcements will be made on Saturday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 3, 2020
Everybody expected them to be first-ballot Hall of Famers long before their retirement, as they have some of the most distinguished careers in NBA history.
Kevin Garnett, the guy with the most modest resume of all three, averaged 17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game on 49% from the floor.
He made it to 15 All-Star Games, 9 All-NBA teams, 12 All-Defensive teams, won 1 MVP, 1 All-Star MVP, 1 Defensive Player of the Year, led the league in total rebounds four times and won 1 NBA Championship while playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets.
Tim Duncan also had one of the most successful careers ever, averaging 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game on 50% from the court.
Duncan made it to 15 All-Star Games, 15 All-NBA teams, 15 All-Defensive teams, won 2 MVPs, the Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Star MVP, 3 Finals MVPs, and 5 NBA Championships. He’s the cornerstone of the San Antonio Spurs’ dynasty.
And last, but not least, the ceremony will honor Kobe Bryant’s career, life, and legacy. This’ll definitely be one of the most emotional moments in sports history, as Bryant tragically passed away last January 26th on a helicopter crash.
Throughout his career, Kobe averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 three-pointers, and 1.4 steals per game on 44% shooting.
He made it to 18 All-Star Games, 15 All-NBA teams, 12 All-Defensive teams, the All-Rookie team, won 4 All-Star MVPs, 1 MVP, 2 Finals MVPs, led the league in scoring twice and won 5 NBA Championships.
He’ll go down as the greatest Laker ever, and he’ll finally have his name immortalized in the Hall of Fame.
