Published 16:56 IST, December 20th 2019
Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett lead the list for NBA Hall of Fame
Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing with Shaquille O'Neal and Pau Gasol to claim five titles and reach seven finals
NBA legends Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh have been named in the 2020 class of potential inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. All the four NBA superstars have combined and won 13 NBA championships, four Most Valuable Player awards, five NBA Finals MVP awards, 59 All-Star appearances and 40 All-NBA selections. These four players are the leading names on the list of 50 people nominated by the North American Committee for enshrinement next year. The finalists will be announced during All-Star Weekend in Chicago in February, with the inductees being unveiled during the Final Four in Atlanta in April.
NBA Hall of Fame list
Apart from the big four the other players who were nominated for the first time this year includes Shawn Marion, Michael Finley, Mark Eaton and Buck Williams. The class, though, will be led by the four stars at the top of it. There are plenty of other starry names on the list too. Coaches nominated include Rick Adelman, George Karl, Dick Motta and Rudy Tomjanovich from the professional ranks, and Gene Keady, Rollie Massimino, Bob McKillop, Eddie Sutton, Bo Ryan and Jay Wright on the college side.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing with Shaquille O'Neal and Pau Gasol to claim five titles and reach seven NBA Finals, all while becoming one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history.
Tim Duncan
Time Duncan spent his entire career with a single franchise, playing 19 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich and alongside David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard.
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett has one NBA title to his name while playing at Boston Celtics in the summer of 2007. He teamed up with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce after spending the first 12 years of his career playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also helped the team reach the NBA Finals in 2010, where they lost in seven games to Bryant and the Lakers.
Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh has a great career with Miami Heat where he played alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. He won two titles and reached the NBA Finals each of the next four seasons. His career derailed by recurring issues with blood clots, forcing him to retire in 2016.
Women's nominations include first-timers Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings, along with current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon and Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who is nominated as a coach and as a player.
Updated 19:57 IST, December 20th 2019