Eight New Hall Of Famers, Kobe, Duncan and Garnett Lead the Class

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will be wealthier for eight big names. Among them are Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan. This news was revealed today, and it immediately drew enormous attention.

Apart from these three guys, the Hall of Fame will receive Rudy Tomjanovich, Kim Mulkey, Eddie Sutton, and three female legends, Kim Mulkey, Tamika Catchings, and Barbara Stevens.

Once hearing the announcement, Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, stated that everything her late husband did in his career, was in order to deserve this honor.

“Every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a steppingstone to be here,” she stated.

Kobe Bryant was a five-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team where he spent his entire career, becoming arguably one of the best players of all time. Apart from setting numerous records, and achievements, Bryant set new standards and raised the bar for the generations to come. His winning mentality and drive for competing were rarely seen in the history of any sport.

That is how the “Mamba mentality” became popular. With 18 All-Star appearances, one MVP title, two Slam dunk trophies among other things, he left his mark in the NBA recognizable, became the inspiration for the generations to come.

We could say the same for Tim Duncan. The Spurs wouldn’t be what they are today if it weren’t for the No.1 pick from the 1997 draft. Arguably the best power forward of all times, as usual, had a very precise and strong comment.

“I played the game, enjoyed the game, loved what I did, and to be here now with the guys I will be put in the Hall of Fame with is just an amazing class,” said Duncan.

It's official! Welcome to the Hall of Fame, TD. #20HoopClass | #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/2LIEKlO8Wc

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 4, 2020

Two-time MVP, a five-time champion, Rookie of the year, three-time Finals MVP, was the essential piece of the Spurs’ dynasty created under the leadership of Gregg Popovich. Duncan is still in San Antonio, only this time learning alongside Pop as an assistant coach.

When looking at the numbers, some would say that Kevin Garnett didn’t have as much success as Bryant or Duncan. But all those who think like that are wrong. KG was one of the most dominant players in his era, and the first of atypical power forwards whose style of play changed the game, allowing players in this position to be more versatile.

KG was an MVP, and NBA champion, a four-time rebounding leader, and an NBA Defensive Player of the Year. It is safe to say that if he had sidekicks like two of the above-mentioned players, his trophy stack would be much bigger. However, he struggled in Minnesota, pushing forward one of the worst franchises in history before jumping to Boston, where he won the title.

The Big Ticket is heading to the Hall of Fame 💪 pic.twitter.com/zFsyapYr0g

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2020

“This is the culmination. All those hours … this is what you do it for, right here. For me, to be called a Hall of Famer, is everything,” KG said emotionally.

If everything goes well, all eight legends should be introduced to the Hall of Fame on August 29. Right now, the situation isn’t promising regarding the future of the current NBA season. There are various scenarios for its closure, depending on the circumstances. Although nothing is clear yet, there are some rumors that the campaign will be finished before the start of the next one, event if that means that the teams have to play throughout the entire summer.