We saw some of the greatest names in history go into the Hall of Fame on May 15. This Hall of Fame class had some of the biggest names to ever play the game. Some of the names included Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant retired from the NBA in April 2016, but tragedy struck on January 26, 2020. Following the death of Bryant, outrage and sadness roared throughout the world as billions of people mourned. Recently, Bryant was among many names to be selected for the Hall of Fame. Since Bryant wasn’t there to give a speech and accept the award, his wife, Vanessa Bryant, was there to speak and accept it on his behalf.

“Congratulations baby,” she said. “All of your hard work and sacrifices paid off. You did it. You’re in the Hall of Fame now. You’re a true champ. You’re not just an MVP, you are an all-time great. I’m so proud of you. I love you forever and always.” 

Big names like Micheal Jordan and Gregg Popovich were there to support the Hall of Fame class as well. Both are former inductees.

Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, 18-time all star, 12-time all-defensive, two-time scoring champ, four-time MVP, two-time finals MVP and Hall of Famer. 

Bryant  will go down in history as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, proving to the world that a kid with dreams can be very dangerous. He went on to win Rookie of the Year in ‘98, shocking the world for the next decade alongside Shaquille O’Neal. Bryant also showed us what it means to have the “Mamba Mentality.”