Kobe Bryant among 8 finalists for Basketball Hall of Fame

Kobe Bryant was one of eight finalists anunced Friday as candidates for enshrinement into Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, a decision that came as absolutely surprise in his first year of eligibility.

Joining Bryant as first-time finalists for Hall: 15-time All-Star Tim Duncan, fellow 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett and 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings.

or finalists have all been to this point previously: Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjavich, five-time Division II women’s coach of year Barbara Stevens of Bentley, and four-time national men’s college coach of year Eddie Sutton.

This year’s enshrinement class will be anunced on April 4 at college basketball’s Final Four in Atlanta. induction ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts is Aug. 29.

Bryant was an 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion during a 20-year career with Los Angeles Lakers, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and is . 4 scorer in league history. He, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven ors, died in a helicopter crash in Sourn California on Jan. 26.

“Hall of Famer is something you don’t really think about, you don’t really dream about,” Garnett said. “It just happens. ... This is one of more overwhelming situations I’ve ever been in.”

Catchings is also a past WNBA MVP, won a national championship under coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee and was a four-time All-American with Ly Vols.

“I’m just so blessed,” Catchings said. “I’m so thankful.”

Hall also anunced its Curt Gowdy Media Award recipients for this year: sportswriter and commentator Michael Wilbon, who spent three deces at Washington Post and w is with ESPN, and longtime NBA play-by-play commentator Mike Breen.

“You don’t even dream about stuff like this,” Breen said.

A pair of new Gowdy awards were also unveiled. Turner’s “Inside NBA” crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal were anunced as first winners in Transformative Media category. And longtime sportscaster Jim Gray was first recipient of Insight Media Award.

Also, John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award will be awarded posthumously to Tim Nugent, founder of National Wheelchair Basketball Association.

Im Source: AP