Cousins!
Legendary athlete Kobe Bryant is set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a special exhibit created to honor his life and legacy!
According to ESPN Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant helped with the personalization of the exhibit with her very own input that is now considered one of the most talked about entries within the entire hall.
“The family had time to think about what they wanted to do,” states president and CEO Doleva said during Friday’s news conference for each of the 2020 inductees. “[It’s] about Kobe’s accomplishments but also about what Kobe was after he left the Lakers, after he left basketball.”
The exhibit is located at the Hall of Fame within the Springfield, Massachusetts area in collaboration with Vanessa, Panini’s trading card company and others.
The Kobe Bryant exhibit at the Hall of Fame, designed by Vanessa Bryant.
(via @DNguyen41) pic.twitter.com/613tusLKrU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 14, 2021
On Friday afternoon Vanessa took to social media to share different views of the exhibit with a caption that reads, “ Love you always.’“
The scheduled ceremony was suppose to take place in 2020 but was pushed back due to Covid restrctions.
Both Vanessa and her eldest daughter Natalia, 18 accepted Kobe’s signature Hall of Fame blazer alongside the additional 2020 inductees Friday at the Hall of Fame awards tipoff awards gala.
The stand-alone exhibit titled “ Kobe : A Basketball Life” displays sections of Kobe’s high school basketball court in Pennsylvania along with portions of the five championship rings he won with the Lakers. The exhibit also features the exclusive sneakers he wore while scoring 81 points during a game in 2006.
“Kobe is honored to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,” stated Vanessa in a forwarded statement. “I look forward to celebrating Kobe’s legacy and offering my remarks at the enshrinement ceremony tomorrow. On behalf of our family, we appreciate the continuous love and support from fans all over the world.”