Kobe Bryant has been posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The five-time NBA champion died, aged 41, in a helicopter crash in January 2020 alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
Kobe Bryant is now officially an enshrined member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. #20HoopClass pic.twitter.com/oJkVZEZAV0
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) May 16, 2021
In a speech, she said: “You did it, you’re in the Hall of Fame now.”
Vanessa Bryant added: “You’re a true champ. You’re not just an MVP, you are an all-time great. I’m so proud of you. I love you forever and always, Kobe Bean Bryant.”
Los Angeles Lakers great Bryant retired in 2016; he was the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008, was Finals MVP twice and earned 18 All-Star selections.
He was in the United States team that won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012.
The 2020 Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony was delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Duncan, a five-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, and Kevin Garnett, who helped the Boston Celtics win the championship in 2008, were among the other inductees.
Each inductee is given 10 minutes for their acceptance speech, but the clock was turned off for Vanessa Bryant, who was later joined on stage by her youngest daughters Capri and Bianka.
