Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett headline the 2020 group of inductees into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The trio is joined by WNBA player Tamika Catchings, FIBA executive Patrick Baumann, along with coaches Rudy Tomjanovich, Eddie Sutton, Barbara Stevens, and Kim Mulkey.
Bryant, Duncan, and Garnett were first-time nominees and are the most recognizable names of the class.
Bryant, who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, was an 18-time All-Star and the 2008 NBA MVP. In addition, he led the Lakers to five NBA championships where he was the Finals MVP four times. He was an 11-time NBA First Team Selection and was selected to the All-Defensive First Team nine times. His great all-around game has him on practically everyone’s list as one of the top overall players and scorers to ever play the game. Bryant died tragically on January 26 in a helicopter crash that was also carrying his daughter and seven others.
Duncan was a 15-time All-Star during his 19 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. He was named the MVP of the league twice in 2002 and 2003, and is notably the only player in NBA history who has 1,000 or more wins with one NBA team. In 2019, he joined the Spurs as an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich’s staff.
Garnett, another 15-time All Star, spent the his first 12 seasons in the league with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he led them to eight straight playoff appearances. He was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2007, where he teamed up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and would soon lead the Celtics to the 2008 championship. Garnett was also the 2004 NBA MVP and 2008 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
