Vanessa Bryant says late husband Kobe's Hall of Fame selection is 'peak of his NBA career'

(Image credit: Screenshot/ESPN)

last updated 4 April 2020

The late Kobe Bryant is officially on his way to Springfield.

Bryant, the former Los Angeles Laker who was killed along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in California in January, was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday. He'll be inducted on Aug. 29 in a ceremony that will also be headlined by Bryant's contemporaries and fellow NBA legends, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

Bryant's wife, Vanessa, and oldest daughter, Natalia, appeared on ESPN on Saturday to talk about the significance of the achievement. Vanessa Bryant said she wished her husband was there to experience the moment, but it was nevertheless an "incredible accomplishment and honor" and the "peak" of his NBA career. "Every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a stepping stone to be here," she said.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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