On the 4th of April 2020, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the nine-member 2020 Hall of Fame Class. It was a star-studded list and probably one of the most elite sets of basketball players and managers in the history of the game. The list was headlined by Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant.
The Black Mamba headlines this year’s list as he passed on with his 13-year-old daughter, Gigi alongside 9 others in a helicopter crash in February. Bryant’s 20-year career saw him become the Laker’s all-time leading scorer as he was the youngest player to reach 30,000 career points, the first guard in the NBA to play at least 20 seasons with 18 consecutive appearances in the all-star team.
The assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs, former franchise player Tim Duncan has been the only player to be picked for 13 consecutive seasons on both the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams. Arguably the most successful Spurs player, he was touted to be the greatest power forward of all time which makes him one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA.
One of the most decorated and long-serving players in the history of the NBA. One time MVP of the year and one time NBA Champion, “The Big Ticket” Kevin Garnett entertained NBA fans for 21 seasons with his outrageous dunking and athleticism.
Garnett represented the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. The Power forward who sometimes played as a centre was well known for his defensive attributes as he holds a joint record of 15 All-Star Games appearances.
Other inductees in the men’s category are Eddie Sutton and Rudy Tomjanovich. Both are successful coaches from the NCAA and NBA respectively.
The women’s committee has just three women to be inducted; Kim Mulkey, Tamika Catchings (former player), and Barbara Stevens (coaches). For the international committee, the only inductee is Patrick Baumann who is the only “The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Elect Member” for the year 2020.
