Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Postponed to 2021

Kobe Bryant in 2010
Kobe Bryant in 2010. Photo by Joe Toth/REX/Shutterstock (8525481bg)

The names of basketball legends Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan won’t make it to the Hall of Fame just yet. According to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo, the induction ceremony for the Class of 2020 will be postponed for next year.

The induction ceremony was scheduled to take place on August 28-30, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the board of governors is considering other dates. Several alternative dates were in play this year before the Hall finally settled on the spring of 2021. 

“We’re definitely canceling,” Colangelo told ESPN on Wednesday. “It’s going to have to be the first quarter of next year. We’ll meet in a couple of weeks and look at the options of how and when and where.”

Colangelo also explained that the 2020 and 2021 class of inductees will receive its separate ceremonies, with both taking place next year.

“We won’t be combining them,” he added. “The Class of 2020 is a very special class and deserves its own celebration.”

The Class of 2020 is one of the most star-studded lineups in the history of Hall of Fame and features recently deceased Los Angeles Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant, San Antonio Spurs’ great Tim Duncan, and Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics’ superstar Kevin Garnett. Between themselves, Bryant, Duncan, and Garnett have 11 NBA titles, four NBA Most Valuable Player awards, and close to 50 All-Star appearances.

Besides Bryant, Duncan, and Garnett, this year’s class of inductees also includes former Houston Rockets’ coach Rudy Tomjanovich, Four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings, and Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey among others.

Harley loves music and tries to go to a music festival every summer. When he's not listening to music, he writes about movies, food and wine, art, and sport.