Kobe Bryant Named as 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Finalist

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who died on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash, has been named a finalist for the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and retired WNBA player Tamika Catchings were also announced as finalists.

NBA coach Rudy Tomjanovich, Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, men's college coach Eddie Sutton, and NCAA women’s basketball coach Barbara Stevens were also on the list of finalists.

"When the nominees for the Class of 2020 were announced in December, we knew this class had the potential of being one of the most historic of all time,” Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, said in a statement. "The untimely passing of Kobe Bryant has left us in a state of reflective mourning and we're proud to honor his legacy while also recognizing seven other individuals who have meant so much to our game. We congratulate our finalists and those who have supported them on their journeys."

The class of 2020 is scheduled to be announced in April.

In addition to news of the HoF finalists, it was revealed that Jim Gray is the winner of the inaugural Insight Media Award Winner. Mike Breen will recieve the Curt Gowdy Media Award for electronic media while ESPN's Michael Wilbon will get the same award for print. TNT's Inside the NBA was named the winner of the Transformative Media Award.