BREAKING: Kobe Bryant Led 2020 Hall of Fame Class To Be Inducted Next Year

The 2020 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is certainly a prominent one. Headlining the list of inductees is fallen legend Kobe Bryant. The mamba was inducted into the star-studded 2020 class, shortly after his death. While the pandemic has massively delayed the ceremony, a fixed date has now been announced.

The 2020 Hall of Fame class is one for the ages. Besides Kobe gracing the list, you can find NBA legends Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett receiving their inductions into the Hall of Fame category. The induction festivities were supposed to be held this month, but was initially pushed to October 2020.

Jerry Colangelo, the chairman of the board of governors for the Hall of Fame, informed ESPN that even the alternate dates that they had decided on were “not feasible” to organize.

The alternate dates for the ceremony were slated to be October 10-12, but now, it is just not possible to hold an event with the pandemic not receding. Thus, the board of governors has decided to organize the event on a later date, pushing it to 2021. 

When can we see Kobe Bryant posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame? 

A lot of fans were teary-eyed and happy that Kobe Bryant was inducted into the 2020 Hall of Fame class. But, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the plans for the grand ceremony. It was originally supposed to be held from 28-30 of this month.

This has forced the organizers to postpone the event to next year, fixing May as the scheduled month. The ceremony will now take place from May 13-15 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

“The decision to reschedule Enshrinement into May of next year, along with diminished museum guest visitation and a very uncertain future regarding our multiple collegiate and high school basketball events this fall, has forced us to make these very difficult decisions,” Hall of Fame president and CEO John Doleva said, as per ESPN. 

“Our goal now is to conserve resources so that we may stabilize in 2021 and return to our growth trajectory in 2022 and beyond.”

This is certainly a well-planned move by the board. The HoF ceremony is an esteemed and prestigious event. Holding it with haste and the fear of the virus spreading will take away the essence of it. But what about the Hall of Fame class of 2021? Will the board induct both classes in the same ceremony? 

No, they will not. Jerry Colangelo had previously informed that they are planning to host two separate events next year: One for the class of 2020 and one for the class of 2021. Brace yourselves, basketball fans. For two Hall of Fame ceremonies in a single calendar year has never taken place before.