Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all-time and a Los Angeles Lakers legend, was announced as an inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for this year. While that much was not a surprise after the superstar player won five rings and was named to the All-Star team eighteen times, the Black Mamba will only be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2021 due to the ongoing effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
Every single industry has been affected by the pandemic. Sports leagues have completely halted operations, with the National Basketball Association looking into ways to continue the season in a remote location -- possibly at Disney World in Florida. As for the upcoming Hall Of Fame ceremony, which was scheduled for August 29, it has officially been pushed back to 2021 after several reports that a date in October was being considered.
The late Bryant is set to be joined by Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett as three of the nine people being celebrated in the upcoming ceremony. News of the delay was confirmed by Hall of Fame Board of Governors chairman Jerry Colangelo.
"We're definitely canceling," said Colangelo. "It's going to have to be the first quarter of next year. [The board will] meet in a couple of weeks and look at the options of how and when and where."
Kobe Bryant passed away at the age of 41 after a helicopter crash. His daughter Gianna Bryant was also killed.
Rest in peace, Kobe and GiGi.