Kobe Bryant and others Dead in Helicopter crash
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Very interesting.
VANESSA BRYANT BEGS MEDIA NOT TO SHOW FOOTAGE OF HELICOPTER CRASH DURING TRIBUTES FOR KOBE AND GIGI (PIC)
January 18, 2021
By Darrelle Lincoln
As crazy as it was to hear and see the news of Kobe, Gigi and seven others losing their life in a helicopter crash, it’s even crazier that we are just days away from the 1-year anniversary of that tragic moment.
The wife of the late Los Angeles Lakers player is asking media outlets to not show footage of the helicopter accident that took the life of her husband and daughter. Kobe’s wife Vanessa is asking the media to remember their memories in a respectful way.
Jerry West, who is believed to be the model for the NBA logo silhouette, says he's happy for the logo to be changed after Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving suggested it should be the late Kobe Bryant
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Vanessa Bryant Demands For The Release Of The Names Of Deputies That Leaked The Helicopter Crash Photos Of Kobe Bryant
In the aftermath of Kobe Bryant's death, photos of the wreckage got leaked to the media -- photos that could have only been obtained by the law enforcement
fadeawayworld.net
Kobe is my guy, but after that sexual assault scandal(even though he didn't rape her), it's a wrap for shit like this.
Vanessa Bryant wins ruling in crash photos suit
A federal judge in California has ruled that Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, can obtain the names of four L.A. County deputies who allegedly shared graphic photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, daughter and others.
Judge rules in favor of Vanessa Bryant in Kobe Bryant crash photos suit
Mar 9, 2021
An effort by Los Angeles County lawyers to keep the deputies' names under seal was rejected Monday by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The ruling means the names and details from an internal affairs investigation of the deputies could be added to Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit against the county and the Sheriff's Department. The county, however, can appeal the decision.
Kobe Bryant and the others were killed Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were aboard crashed west of Los Angeles in the hills of Calabasas.
The Times later reported that an investigation found deputies shared photos of victims' remains. Vanessa Bryant sued, seeking damages for negligence and invasion of privacy.
County lawyers argued that the deputies' names should remain under seal because releasing them would make it easy for hackers to locate their personal information and addresses.
The judge wrote that Sheriff Alex Villanueva's "promise to publicly release the [internal affairs bureau] report after the conclusion of the investigation undermines Defendants' purported concern in the disclosure of the limited excerpts at issue here."
The judge also wrote that the public has a vested interest in assessing the truthfulness of allegations of police misconduct.
Firefighters could lose jobs for Kobe crash photos
Two Los Angeles County firefighters could be fired and a third suspended after some first responders took and shared graphic photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter and seven others, court documents say.
Firefighters who took and shared photos of Kobe Bryant crash site could be fired, per court documents
6:37 PM ET
The court documents were filed Monday as part of widow Vanessa Bryant's federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County that alleges invasion of privacy. The filings propose that a Nov. 16 trial be postponed five months to April 27, 2022, because of a large amount of material that attorneys need to review.
Kobe Bryant and the others were killed Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were aboard crashed west of Los Angeles. Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the wreck that killed the Los Angeles Lakers basketball star.
An internal investigation by the Los Angeles County Fire Department found that two firefighters -- whose names were not disclosed in the court filings -- had taken photos of the bodies in the helicopter wreckage that "served no business necessity," Vanessa Bryant's attorneys wrote, and "only served to appeal to baser instincts and desires for what amounted to visual gossip."
They then sent the photos to a third firefighter -- a media relations officer who went to the scene and later shared the images with off-duty firefighters and their wives and girlfriends while socializing at an awards ceremony at a Hilton hotel the month after the crash.
The two firefighters -- one of whom was at the site solely to monitor safety procedures -- were sent "intention to discharge" letters last December. The third firefighter received an "intention to suspend" letter. The employment status of all three was not immediately clear Wednesday.
Los Angeles County attorneys have argued that there is no legal basis for Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit because the photos were not publicly disseminated. She can't sue for a "hypothetical harm" that they might be shared publicly, the county said in filings.
Capt. Ron Haralson, a spokesperson for the county fire department, declined to comment, citing the lawsuit.
Several Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies -- none of whom were directly involved in the investigation of the crash -- are also included in the lawsuit because they are accused of taking or passing around the grisly photos with family, friends and, in one case, a bar patron and a bartender who later complained to the sheriff's department.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva condemned the deputies' behavior and, in a move that has since been heavily criticized, ordered them to delete the photos. The captain of the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station, which oversees the area where the crash occurred, pushed back on the decision but was overruled.
The Sheriff's Department said Wednesday that "a full administrative investigation was conducted and appropriate administrative action was taken.'' But it couldn't provide details about discipline involving the deputies because of a pending lawsuit and state employment law that bars disclosing "specific administrative actions."
Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed a law that makes it a crime for first responders to take unauthorized photos of deceased people at the scene of an accident or crime.
Representatives from the union that represents firefighters did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment Wednesday.
The firefighter who received the photos and shared them with others was not named in court documents, but the Los Angeles Times has reported that Capt. Tony Imbrenda filed a retaliation lawsuit in November. Imbrenda alleged he was demoted for refusing to hand over his personal cellphone during the investigation into the photos, which he said was a violation of the Firefighter Bill of Rights.
Imbrenda did, however, hand over his department cellphone and laptop, the Times reported. His lawsuit says he received photos from people working at the crash site "as is common practice on all major incidents."
He took his own photos the next day, the Times reported, but denied taking photos of the victims' bodies and said he did not take photos with his personal cellphone.
Imbrenda did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
But he didn't do anything wrong (aside from cheat on his wife).....
Mfkrs get accused of false shit a lot.....and most of them rebound and get to move on to bigger and better
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I agree. Its still not happening though.
Basketball Hall of Fame prepared special exhibit for Kobe Bryant with wife Vanessa's input
UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has created a special exhibit honoring the late Kobe Bryant, one that was toured by his wife, Vanessa, on Friday afternoon and that will become the "most talked about" exhibit in the Hall, according to John Doleva, its president and CEO.
"The family had a time to think about what they wanted to do," 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."
Doleva said the exhibit was created from a collaboration of Vanessa Bryant and the trading card company Panini, among others.
"It almost feels to me like it is the what's next, what could have been next, for Kobe," Doleva said. "So it looks backward, looks at the present and has a hint of the future, which I think is fantastic.
"I think it's going to be the most talked about and enjoyed exhibit at the Hall of Fame."
Bryant was the only member of the star-studded 2020 class, which includes Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, who wasn't represented at Friday's news conference. Instead, Vanessa Bryant prepared a statement in lieu of answering any questions that was read by The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears, who hosted Friday's event.
"Kobe is honored to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame," Vanessa Bryant said in the 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."
Not surprisingly, much of the discussion Friday was about Bryant, who has a connection to several of the members of the class. Most prominent among them are Duncan and Garnett, two fellow first-ballot Hall of Famers who spent decades battling with Bryant throughout their careers. Both spoke of the admiration they had for their longtime nemesis on the court.
"Your greatest competition brings the best out of you," Duncan said, "and that's what he always did. You always had to be at your best and bring your best from start to finish if you were playing against him or any of his teams, and I think that's what I appreciate about remembering playing against him and being on the court with him.
"[He was] a fierce competitor and always demanding more of him and his teammates than probably was possible. But he wanted to win that much, he wanted it that much, and it was an honor to share the court with him."
Said Garnett: "You can go through the list of NBA greats, and I couldn't pick two better players, not just that, but two better people, to go into the Hall with. Both of them are class acts and unbelievable players. I'm very privileged, if I'm being honest. Ever since I stepped in the league, it's been like a dream, and this is no different. I'm honored."
Duncan spent his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning five championships across a 19-year career. He will be presented by fellow Spurs lifer David Robinson on Saturday and said he is excited for the "fellow members" of the Spurs family who will be soon to join him, including coach Gregg Popovich and longtime teammates Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
"Throughout my time, throughout our time there, what incredible teammates I've had there and teammates I hope to be doing this for in the coming years," Duncan said. "The city of San Antonio was the perfect place for me. The city, the fans, the organization, all the way down the line, and I'm honored to represent that here."
Garnett, on the other hand, spent more than a decade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, suffering through quick playoff exits more often than not, before eventually landing with the Boston Celtics in 2007 as the final piece of what proved to be a championship puzzle in 2008 -- the lone title of Garnett's career.
It was a move Garnett was initially resistant to making, but one he now says he wish he had made sooner.
"It meant everything, man," Garnett said. "You come into the NBA wanting to win, and losing is part of it. Doesn't mean you have to accept it. Going to a storied franchise like Boston gave me life, gave me breath, gave me purpose, and the players that you're playing with actually make the experience monumental, make it magical. The city was waiting for something big or something different to happen versus where it was, and when you win, you just never look back. The fan base in Boston was over the top. ... The fan love in Boston was another level, but I learned to embrace it.
"My only regret in any of this was I should've come to Boston a little earlier. Other than that, it's magical."
In the wake of the Timberwolves reaching an agreement for a sale to billionaire businessman Marc Lore and legendary baseball player Alex Rodriguez this week, Garnett was asked about his complicated relationship with the team over the years, including specifically with owner Glen Taylor.
But Garnett said he has no regrets about his time in Minnesota and thanked Taylor, former general manager Kevin McHale and the late Flip Saunders for taking a chance on him in the first place.
"Nothing is with regret," Garnett said. "I think everything I learned in Minnesota I was able to carry to Boston and make myself a better player and a better teammate. I had a better relationship with [Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck] because of the situations and stuff I went through in Minnesota.
"Minnesota took a chance on me. I don't have any regrets. I thank Glen, I thank Kevin, I thank Flip Saunders for blessing me with the opportunity to be drafted and giving me the canvas to come out here and give me the chance to actually come out here and show the world. Kevin McHale was a great teacher. Having great teammates like Sam Mitchell and Terry Porter, that kind of gave me bearings. So no, I don't regret none of that. Without [Minnesota], I don't know if I'm the same player going to Boston, you know?
"So no, I don't regret anything. If anything, thank you."
Another inductee, WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, also has a long and unique tie to Bryant: Their fathers played together with the Philadelphia 76ers and against each other in Italy, so the two future Hall of Famers knew each other as children.
"It's a blessing," Catchings said. "I mean, it's crazy to think, and a lot of people will ask as far as Kobe goes, a lot of people will ask what it was like growing up. And we were just kids. I don't think either one of us at that point in time would ever dream about the road we were on and the opportunity we had, both of our fathers playing, being in a foreign country, being not necessarily the typical life for any child.
"I just remember calling my parents [when he was drafted out of high school] and saying, 'This is the Kobe were just in Italy with, right?' And yeah, it was.
"So he went to the pros, I went to college, four years after that I went to the WNBA, and the rest is history."
UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has created a special exhibit honoring the late Kobe Bryant, one that was toured by his wife, Vanessa, on Friday afternoon and that will become the "most talked about" exhibit in the Hall, according to John Doleva, its president and CEO.
"The family had a time to think about what they wanted to do," 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."
Doleva said the exhibit was created from a collaboration of Vanessa Bryant and the trading card company Panini, among others.
"It almost feels to me like it is the what's next, what could have been next, for Kobe," Doleva said. "So it looks backward, looks at the present and has a hint of the future, which I think is fantastic.
"I think it's going to be the most talked about and enjoyed exhibit at the Hall of Fame."
Bryant was the only member of the star-studded 2020 class, which includes Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, who wasn't represented at Friday's news conference. Instead, Vanessa Bryant prepared a statement in lieu of answering any questions that was read by The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears, who hosted Friday's event.
"Kobe is honored to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame," Vanessa Bryant said in the 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."
Not surprisingly, much of the discussion Friday was about Bryant, who has a connection to several of the members of the class. Most prominent among them are Duncan and Garnett, two fellow first-ballot Hall of Famers who spent decades battling with Bryant throughout their careers. Both spoke of the admiration they had for their longtime nemesis on the court.
"Your greatest competition brings the best out of you," Duncan said, "and that's what he always did. You always had to be at your best and bring your best from start to finish if you were playing against him or any of his teams, and I think that's what I appreciate about remembering playing against him and being on the court with him.
"[He was] a fierce competitor and always demanding more of him and his teammates than probably was possible. But he wanted to win that much, he wanted it that much, and it was an honor to share the court with him."
Said Garnett: "You can go through the list of NBA greats, and I couldn't pick two better players, not just that, but two better people, to go into the Hall with. Both of them are class acts and unbelievable players. I'm very privileged, if I'm being honest. Ever since I stepped in the league, it's been like a dream, and this is no different. I'm honored."
Duncan spent his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning five championships across a 19-year career. He will be presented by fellow Spurs lifer David Robinson on Saturday and said he is excited for the "fellow members" of the Spurs family who will be soon to join him, including coach Gregg Popovich and longtime teammates Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
"Throughout my time, throughout our time there, what incredible teammates I've had there and teammates I hope to be doing this for in the coming years," Duncan said. "The city of San Antonio was the perfect place for me. The city, the fans, the organization, all the way down the line, and I'm honored to represent that here."
Garnett, on the other hand, spent more than a decade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, suffering through quick playoff exits more often than not, before eventually landing with the Boston Celtics in 2007 as the final piece of what proved to be a championship puzzle in 2008 -- the lone title of Garnett's career.
It was a move Garnett was initially resistant to making, but one he now says he wish he had made sooner.
"It meant everything, man," Garnett said. "You come into the NBA wanting to win, and losing is part of it. Doesn't mean you have to accept it. Going to a storied franchise like Boston gave me life, gave me breath, gave me purpose, and the players that you're playing with actually make the experience monumental, make it magical. The city was waiting for something big or something different to happen versus where it was, and when you win, you just never look back. The fan base in Boston was over the top. ... The fan love in Boston was another level, but I learned to embrace it.
"My only regret in any of this was I should've come to Boston a little earlier. Other than that, it's magical."
In the wake of the Timberwolves reaching an agreement for a sale to billionaire businessman Marc Lore and legendary baseball player Alex Rodriguez this week, Garnett was asked about his complicated relationship with the team over the years, including specifically with owner Glen Taylor.
But Garnett said he has no regrets about his time in Minnesota and thanked Taylor, former general manager Kevin McHale and the late Flip Saunders for taking a chance on him in the first place.
"Nothing is with regret," Garnett said. "I think everything I learned in Minnesota I was able to carry to Boston and make myself a better player and a better teammate. I had a better relationship with [Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck] because of the situations and stuff I went through in Minnesota.
"Minnesota took a chance on me. I don't have any regrets. I thank Glen, I thank Kevin, I thank Flip Saunders for blessing me with the opportunity to be drafted and giving me the canvas to come out here and give me the chance to actually come out here and show the world. Kevin McHale was a great teacher. Having great teammates like Sam Mitchell and Terry Porter, that kind of gave me bearings. So no, I don't regret none of that. Without [Minnesota], I don't know if I'm the same player going to Boston, you know?
"So no, I don't regret anything. If anything, thank you."
Another inductee, WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, also has a long and unique tie to Bryant: Their fathers played together with the Philadelphia 76ers and against each other in Italy, so the two future Hall of Famers knew each other as children.
"It's a blessing," Catchings said. "I mean, it's crazy to think, and a lot of people will ask as far as Kobe goes, a lot of people will ask what it was like growing up. And we were just kids. I don't think either one of us at that point in time would ever dream about the road we were on and the opportunity we had, both of our fathers playing, being in a foreign country, being not necessarily the typical life for any child.
"I just remember calling my parents [when he was drafted out of high school] and saying, 'This is the Kobe were just in Italy with, right?' And yeah, it was.
"So he went to the pros, I went to college, four years after that I went to the WNBA, and the rest is history."
Vanessa Bryant presents Natalia with jacket ahead of Kobe's induction
Natalia, 18, and mother Vanessa were given a ring and jacket in honor of Kobe Bryant at the Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala in Connecticut on Friday.
Kobe Bryant Inducted Into Hall of Fame, Emotional Tribute from Vanessa Bryant
Incredible moment from Vanessa Bryant ... who just delivered an emotional speech as her husband Kobe Bryant was inducted into the the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame -- and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
www.tmz.com
'He's still winning': Kobe Bryant inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett
Vanessa Bryant, the wife of the late Kobe Bryant, accepted her husband's admission into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday night on his behalf, saying that he's still winning even after he's gone.
"I used to always avoid praising my husband in public because I felt like he got enough praise from his fans around the world and someone had to bring him back to reality," Vanessa Bryant said at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. "Right now, I'm sure he's laughing in heaven because I'm about to praise him in public for his accomplishments on one of the most public stages. I can see him now, arms folded, with a huge grin saying, 'Isn't this some s---?'
"He's still winning."
The 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class is one of the most star-studded of all time, led by Bryant and fellow NBA legends Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan -- a trio that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said earlier Saturday is better than any in the history of the institution.
"There has not been a better Big Three to go in at the same time," James said.
Still, the focus of the night, and the weekend, was understandably on the man who wasn't there, in the wake of the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others on Jan. 26, 2020.
Vanessa Bryant's speech, given with Bryant's idol, Michael Jordan, standing next to her as his presenter into the Hall of Fame, focused on her relationship with her husband, as well as his with his children.
"I don't have a speech prepared by my husband because he winged every single speech," she said. "He was intelligent, eloquent and gifted at many things, including public speaking. However, I do know that he would thank everyone that helped him get here, including the people that doubted him and the people that worked against him and told him that he couldn't attain his goals.
"He would thank all of them for motivating him to be here. After all, he proved you wrong."
Vanessa Bryant also spoke about his legendary determination and will to play through injuries, including when he made two free throws and walked off the court under his own power after tearing his left Achilles tendon.
She said that ability came from watching Jordan while growing up, and following Jordan's example of trying to always put on a show for the one person who might get to see him play only that night, in only that game.
"People don't know this, but one of the reasons my husband played through injuries and pain was because he said he remembered being a little kid, sitting in the nosebleeds with his dad to watch his favorite player play," she said, sneaking a look at Jordan while the crowd laughed. "He could recall the car ride, the convos and the excitement of being lucky enough to have a seat in the arena. Kobe didn't want to disappoint his fans, especially the ones in the 300 section that saved up to watch him play, the kids with the same excitement he once had.
"I remember asking him why he just couldn't sit a game out because he was hurting. He said, 'What about the fans who saved up to watch me play just once?' He never forgot about his fans. If he could help it, he would play every minute of every game. He loved you all so much."
Ultimately, though, she said Bryant's favorite fans were his daughters, whom he doted on constantly and whose events he tried his best to attend.
"Thank you for being the best husband and father you could possibly be. Thank you for growing and learning from your own mistakes," Vanessa Bryant said. "Thank you for always trying to be better. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for all of your hard work. Thank you for our family. Thank you for our daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri. Thank you for working so tirelessly to provide for us and for giving us the most amazing life together. Thank you for waking up at 4 a.m. to train, for making it home to kiss me good morning and for dropping our girls off at school only to go to practice, come home and pick up our girls from school whenever you could.
"Thank you for never missing a birthday, a dance recital, a school awards show, show-and-tell or any games our daughters played in if your schedule permitted. Thank you for putting your love for our family first. Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives and joy to people around the world. Thank you for inspiring us to be better than we were the day before. Thank you for teaching me, and all of us, to put someone else's joy before our own.
"Thank you for being so selfless and loving with a heart of gold. Thank you for never taking yourself too seriously. Thank you for your sense of humor. Thank you for your wit. Thank you for never telling me no and always letting me have my way, most of the time. Thank you for being patient and easygoing. Thank you for letting me burst your bubble every chance I got. Thank you for graciously taking all my harsh comebacks. Thank you for dishing them back."
She finished by telling Bryant that his bet on himself, as he'd once told her is always the best one to make, had paid off.
"Congratulations, baby. All of your hard work and sacrifice has paid off," she said. "You once told me, if you're going to bet on someone, bet on yourself. I'm glad you bet on yourself, you overachiever. You did it. You're in the Hall of Fame now. You're a true champ.
"You're not just an MVP. You're an all-time great. I'm so proud of you. I love you forever and always, Kobe. Bean. Bryant."
www.espn.com
While Vanessa Bryant's speech was a fitting conclusion to the star-studded event, it was far from the only notable moment from a night that took far longer to arrive than initially planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was Garnett who led off the festivities Saturday evening -- an honor he said he requested.
"I told them I wanted to go first," the 15-time All-Star, 12-time All-Defensive Team and nine-time All-NBA selection said with a smile, "because I know we've got the OGs in here. I know y'all have got a bedtime in a minute. I wanted Bill Russell to hear my speech before y'all fell asleep."
He then went on to thank the four players who jumped from high school to the pros in the 1970s -- 20 years before Garnett became the first to do it in decades in 1995, when Minnesota drafted him fifth overall.
"It's a big deal for me to pay homage to the ones that came before me," Garnett said.
He also thanked Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Jordan, as well as Isiah Thomas, whom Garnett selected as his presenter for Saturday's ceremony. It was Thomas, a fellow Chicago high school player who was running the Toronto Raptors at the time, who Garnett said gave him advice that helped convince him to officially make the jump from preps to pros in 1995.
"I think today," Garnett said with a smile, "they would call that tampering."
After thanking his mother, Shirley, whom he said was the one to blame for the passion and intensity with which he played throughout his 21-year career. He thanked his daughters and those who helped raise him in South Carolina and Chicago. Garnett went through and listed thank-you's to many of those he crossed paths with during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.
Some of them, including former Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Celtics teammate Paul Pierce and Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Sam Cassell, were in attendance.
And then there were the notable people Garnett did not mention: Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, with whom Garnett has feuded for years; Ray Allen, part of the Big Three in Boston that led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title; and Deron Williams, the player Garnett was traded to Brooklyn to play alongside in 2013.
"I played the game hard," Garnett said, summing up his approach to the sport. "I played the game with a passion."
He finished his speech by acknowledging Duncan, whom he battled for the honor of being the best power forward in the sport for a decade, and Bryant.
"It was nothing but epic when we battled," Garnett said to Duncan. "I look forward to all the battles. Seriously. And I thank you for taking me to another level, you and Rasheed [Wallace]."
Garnett was followed by longtime college coaches Barbara Stevens and Eddie Sutton, before WNBA legend Tamika Catchings took the stage.
"I am proof that [with] hard work, undying faith and a solid support system, dreams do come true," said Catchings, who wears hearing aids.
"They say it takes a village to raise a child. I say it takes a village to make dreams come true. To all of the people who have been part of my village, thank you. We all have dreams and goals and whether you're young or old, born with a disability, or have been told of the things you can't accomplish, tonight I share the same words that my parents shared with me: What's a choice? If anyone can do it, you can. Shoot for the stars, work hard, and catch your dream."
Catchings also has the distinction of having spent part of her childhood in Italy with Kobe Bryant, when their fathers -- Harvey Catchings and Joe Bryant, former teammates with the Philadelphia 76ers -- were playing for rival teams in Italy.
"To Kobe and the Bryants," she said, "this truly has been a basketball storybook ending."
Catchings' speech was followed by acceptances for the late Patrick Baumann, the longtime FIBA secretary general who died from a heart attack in 2018; two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich; and college coach Kim Mulkey, before Duncan took the stage ahead of Vanessa Bryant and Jordan.
Accompanied by San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer David Robinson, and with his only NBA head coach, Gregg Popovich, who skipped the Spurs' Saturday afternoon game against the Phoenix Suns, Duncan -- whose famously stoic demeanor followed him throughout his great career -- admitted he'd never been more nervous than he was Saturday.
"I will try to get through this," the 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-Defensive Team and 15-time All-NBA selection said with a smile. "This is the most nervous I have ever been in my life. I've been through Finals, through Game 7s, and this officially is the most nervous I've ever been in my life. I've been pacing in my room all day, so let's see what we get."
He began by thanking Robinson, with whom he won two of his five championships with the Spurs, for showing him how to be a pro. Like Garnett, Duncan also thanked his fellow NBA inductees for making him better.
"People always ask, 'What did he tell you? What did he show you?'" Duncan said of Robinson, before adding, with a laugh: "I don't remember one thing we sat down and talked about specifically.
"But what he did was he was a consummate pro, he was an incredible father, he was an incredible person, and he showed me how to be a good teammate, a great person to the community, all those things. Not by sitting there and telling me how to do it, but by being that."
Duncan also thanked his parents, William and Ione, and joked they had a combined "zero basketball knowledge" between them.
"But they taught me about the game more than anyone else," Duncan said. "You heard the mantra that my mom instilled in me -- good, better, best, never let it rest until your good is better and your better is your best -- they told me, and made me, have pride in everything I did."
He then discussed his remarkable journey, from not picking up a basketball until he was 14 years old to earning a scholarship to Wake Forest by playing a pickup game at a court near the hotel where his eventual college coach, Dave Odom, stayed.
"I have no idea how I played, but I played well enough that he offered me a scholarship," Duncan said. "He saw something in me, and he took a chance on this kid from the [U.S. Virgin] Islands. Thank you, Coach O, thank you for seeing something in me that I didn't see at the time."
Duncan went through his career, highlighting many of his teammates, before eventually settling on two fixtures of so much of his time in San Antonio, teammates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili -- both of whom were in attendance.
"To look to your left and look to your right and have the same guys there year in and year out is unbelievable," he said. "It's a blessing beyond what I can put into words. Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, I can't wait to see you guys up here and for me to not be up here. It was an honor sharing the court with you guys. Thank you for your friendship, thank you for your brotherhood, thank you for all of the experiences that we shared on that court."
Then, after choking up while talking about his wife and children, Duncan finally turned his attention to Popovich, whom Duncan joked would be angry he talked about him at all.
"I don't want to talk about him. He's going to get mad at me if I talk about him," Duncan said.
"The standard you set ... you showed up after I got drafted, you came to my island, you sat with my friends, my family, you talked with my dad. I thought that was normal. It's not. You're an exceptional person.
"Thank you for teaching me about basketball but, beyond that, teaching me that it's not all about basketball. It's about what's going on in the world, your family ... just, for everything. Thank you for being the amazing human being that you are."
Vanessa Bryant, the wife of the late Kobe Bryant, accepted her husband's admission into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday night on his behalf, saying that he's still winning even after he's gone.
"I used to always avoid praising my husband in public because I felt like he got enough praise from his fans around the world and someone had to bring him back to reality," Vanessa Bryant said at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. "Right now, I'm sure he's laughing in heaven because I'm about to praise him in public for his accomplishments on one of the most public stages. I can see him now, arms folded, with a huge grin saying, 'Isn't this some s---?'
"He's still winning."
The 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class is one of the most star-studded of all time, led by Bryant and fellow NBA legends Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan -- a trio that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said earlier Saturday is better than any in the history of the institution.
"There has not been a better Big Three to go in at the same time," James said.
Still, the focus of the night, and the weekend, was understandably on the man who wasn't there, in the wake of the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others on Jan. 26, 2020.
Vanessa Bryant's speech, given with Bryant's idol, Michael Jordan, standing next to her as his presenter into the Hall of Fame, focused on her relationship with her husband, as well as his with his children.
"I don't have a speech prepared by my husband because he winged every single speech," she said. "He was intelligent, eloquent and gifted at many things, including public speaking. However, I do know that he would thank everyone that helped him get here, including the people that doubted him and the people that worked against him and told him that he couldn't attain his goals.
"He would thank all of them for motivating him to be here. After all, he proved you wrong."
Vanessa Bryant also spoke about his legendary determination and will to play through injuries, including when he made two free throws and walked off the court under his own power after tearing his left Achilles tendon.
She said that ability came from watching Jordan while growing up, and following Jordan's example of trying to always put on a show for the one person who might get to see him play only that night, in only that game.
"People don't know this, but one of the reasons my husband played through injuries and pain was because he said he remembered being a little kid, sitting in the nosebleeds with his dad to watch his favorite player play," she said, sneaking a look at Jordan while the crowd laughed. "He could recall the car ride, the convos and the excitement of being lucky enough to have a seat in the arena. Kobe didn't want to disappoint his fans, especially the ones in the 300 section that saved up to watch him play, the kids with the same excitement he once had.
"I remember asking him why he just couldn't sit a game out because he was hurting. He said, 'What about the fans who saved up to watch me play just once?' He never forgot about his fans. If he could help it, he would play every minute of every game. He loved you all so much."
Ultimately, though, she said Bryant's favorite fans were his daughters, whom he doted on constantly and whose events he tried his best to attend.
"Thank you for being the best husband and father you could possibly be. Thank you for growing and learning from your own mistakes," Vanessa Bryant said. "Thank you for always trying to be better. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for all of your hard work. Thank you for our family. Thank you for our daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri. Thank you for working so tirelessly to provide for us and for giving us the most amazing life together. Thank you for waking up at 4 a.m. to train, for making it home to kiss me good morning and for dropping our girls off at school only to go to practice, come home and pick up our girls from school whenever you could.
"Thank you for never missing a birthday, a dance recital, a school awards show, show-and-tell or any games our daughters played in if your schedule permitted. Thank you for putting your love for our family first. Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives and joy to people around the world. Thank you for inspiring us to be better than we were the day before. Thank you for teaching me, and all of us, to put someone else's joy before our own.
"Thank you for being so selfless and loving with a heart of gold. Thank you for never taking yourself too seriously. Thank you for your sense of humor. Thank you for your wit. Thank you for never telling me no and always letting me have my way, most of the time. Thank you for being patient and easygoing. Thank you for letting me burst your bubble every chance I got. Thank you for graciously taking all my harsh comebacks. Thank you for dishing them back."
She finished by telling Bryant that his bet on himself, as he'd once told her is always the best one to make, had paid off.
"Congratulations, baby. All of your hard work and sacrifice has paid off," she said. "You once told me, if you're going to bet on someone, bet on yourself. I'm glad you bet on yourself, you overachiever. You did it. You're in the Hall of Fame now. You're a true champ.
"You're not just an MVP. You're an all-time great. I'm so proud of you. I love you forever and always, Kobe. Bean. Bryant."
Kobe, 'still winning,' inducted with KG, Duncan
The 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class is one of the most star-studded of all-time, led by Kobe Bryant and fellow NBA legends Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.
While Vanessa Bryant's speech was a fitting conclusion to the star-studded event, it was far from the only notable moment from a night that took far longer to arrive than initially planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was Garnett who led off the festivities Saturday evening -- an honor he said he requested.
"I told them I wanted to go first," the 15-time All-Star, 12-time All-Defensive Team and nine-time All-NBA selection said with a smile, "because I know we've got the OGs in here. I know y'all have got a bedtime in a minute. I wanted Bill Russell to hear my speech before y'all fell asleep."
He then went on to thank the four players who jumped from high school to the pros in the 1970s -- 20 years before Garnett became the first to do it in decades in 1995, when Minnesota drafted him fifth overall.
"It's a big deal for me to pay homage to the ones that came before me," Garnett said.
He also thanked Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Jordan, as well as Isiah Thomas, whom Garnett selected as his presenter for Saturday's ceremony. It was Thomas, a fellow Chicago high school player who was running the Toronto Raptors at the time, who Garnett said gave him advice that helped convince him to officially make the jump from preps to pros in 1995.
"I think today," Garnett said with a smile, "they would call that tampering."
After thanking his mother, Shirley, whom he said was the one to blame for the passion and intensity with which he played throughout his 21-year career. He thanked his daughters and those who helped raise him in South Carolina and Chicago. Garnett went through and listed thank-you's to many of those he crossed paths with during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.
Some of them, including former Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Celtics teammate Paul Pierce and Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Sam Cassell, were in attendance.
And then there were the notable people Garnett did not mention: Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, with whom Garnett has feuded for years; Ray Allen, part of the Big Three in Boston that led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title; and Deron Williams, the player Garnett was traded to Brooklyn to play alongside in 2013.
"I played the game hard," Garnett said, summing up his approach to the sport. "I played the game with a passion."
He finished his speech by acknowledging Duncan, whom he battled for the honor of being the best power forward in the sport for a decade, and Bryant.
"It was nothing but epic when we battled," Garnett said to Duncan. "I look forward to all the battles. Seriously. And I thank you for taking me to another level, you and Rasheed [Wallace]."
Garnett was followed by longtime college coaches Barbara Stevens and Eddie Sutton, before WNBA legend Tamika Catchings took the stage.
Catchings had one of the best careers in women's basketball history -- 12 All-WNBA selections, five Defensive Player of the Year Awards, a WNBA MVP, a WNBA championship and four Olympic gold medals.
"I am proof that [with] hard work, undying faith and a solid support system, dreams do come true," said Catchings, who wears hearing aids.
"They say it takes a village to raise a child. I say it takes a village to make dreams come true. To all of the people who have been part of my village, thank you. We all have dreams and goals and whether you're young or old, born with a disability, or have been told of the things you can't accomplish, tonight I share the same words that my parents shared with me: What's a choice? If anyone can do it, you can. Shoot for the stars, work hard, and catch your dream."
Catchings also has the distinction of having spent part of her childhood in Italy with Kobe Bryant, when their fathers -- Harvey Catchings and Joe Bryant, former teammates with the Philadelphia 76ers -- were playing for rival teams in Italy.
"To Kobe and the Bryants," she said, "this truly has been a basketball storybook ending."
Catchings' speech was followed by acceptances for the late Patrick Baumann, the longtime FIBA secretary general who died from a heart attack in 2018; two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich; and college coach Kim Mulkey, before Duncan took the stage ahead of Vanessa Bryant and Jordan.
Accompanied by San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer David Robinson, and with his only NBA head coach, Gregg Popovich, who skipped the Spurs' Saturday afternoon game against the Phoenix Suns, Duncan -- whose famously stoic demeanor followed him throughout his great career -- admitted he'd never been more nervous than he was Saturday.
"I will try to get through this," the 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-Defensive Team and 15-time All-NBA selection said with a smile. "This is the most nervous I have ever been in my life. I've been through Finals, through Game 7s, and this officially is the most nervous I've ever been in my life. I've been pacing in my room all day, so let's see what we get."
He began by thanking Robinson, with whom he won two of his five championships with the Spurs, for showing him how to be a pro. Like Garnett, Duncan also thanked his fellow NBA inductees for making him better.
"People always ask, 'What did he tell you? What did he show you?'" Duncan said of Robinson, before adding, with a laugh: "I don't remember one thing we sat down and talked about specifically.
"But what he did was he was a consummate pro, he was an incredible father, he was an incredible person, and he showed me how to be a good teammate, a great person to the community, all those things. Not by sitting there and telling me how to do it, but by being that."
Duncan also thanked his parents, William and Ione, and joked they had a combined "zero basketball knowledge" between them.
"But they taught me about the game more than anyone else," Duncan said. "You heard the mantra that my mom instilled in me -- good, better, best, never let it rest until your good is better and your better is your best -- they told me, and made me, have pride in everything I did."
He then discussed his remarkable journey, from not picking up a basketball until he was 14 years old to earning a scholarship to Wake Forest by playing a pickup game at a court near the hotel where his eventual college coach, Dave Odom, stayed.
"I have no idea how I played, but I played well enough that he offered me a scholarship," Duncan said. "He saw something in me, and he took a chance on this kid from the [U.S. Virgin] Islands. Thank you, Coach O, thank you for seeing something in me that I didn't see at the time."
Duncan went through his career, highlighting many of his teammates, before eventually settling on two fixtures of so much of his time in San Antonio, teammates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili -- both of whom were in attendance.
"To look to your left and look to your right and have the same guys there year in and year out is unbelievable," he said. "It's a blessing beyond what I can put into words. Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, I can't wait to see you guys up here and for me to not be up here. It was an honor sharing the court with you guys. Thank you for your friendship, thank you for your brotherhood, thank you for all of the experiences that we shared on that court."
Then, after choking up while talking about his wife and children, Duncan finally turned his attention to Popovich, whom Duncan joked would be angry he talked about him at all.
"I don't want to talk about him. He's going to get mad at me if I talk about him," Duncan said.
"The standard you set ... you showed up after I got drafted, you came to my island, you sat with my friends, my family, you talked with my dad. I thought that was normal. It's not. You're an exceptional person.
"Thank you for teaching me about basketball but, beyond that, teaching me that it's not all about basketball. It's about what's going on in the world, your family ... just, for everything. Thank you for being the amazing human being that you are."
Vanessa Bryant Explains Why Daughter Natalia Didn't Attend Kobe Bryant's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - E! Online
Vanessa Bryant is sharing why Natalia was unable to attend dad Kobe Bryant's NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 15, although the teen was a memorable part of the Tip-Off event the day prior.
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Vanessa Bryant Explains Why Daughter Natalia Didn't Attend Kobe Bryant's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Mon, May 17, 2021, 1:14 AM·3 min read
Vanessa Bryant Explains Why Daughter Natalia Didn't Attend Kobe Bryant's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The late NBA superstar was honored as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 during an induction ceremony that took place on Saturday, May 15. It had previously been delayed for eight months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After some fans noticed that Kobe and Vanessa's eldest daughter did not attend the ceremony on Saturday, May 15, Vanessa took to Instagram the following day to praise Natalia, 18, for doing what she could to honor her father, despite her high school senior prom happening to fall on the same day.
On May 16, Vanessa posted a selfie of herself kissing Natalia on the cheek while the teen was wearing a backpack and seemed to be about to catch a flight. The night before the ceremony, Natalia joined her family for the Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala on May 14 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. and then returned to Los Angeles the following morning.
Kobe Bryant's Family Attends Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
"Natalia almost missed her senior prom last night," Vanessa captioned it. "When I was a senior in high school, Kobe and I were engaged and he had a playoff game the night of my prom. Kobe didn't want me going to prom without him and I didn't want to go without him. When we heard Natalia's prom night and Kobe's Hall of Fame night were on the same night, I looked at Natalia and said, 'well if it's any consolation, daddy kept me from going to my prom, so it's only right that he tried to keep you from going to yours.'"
She continued, "Of course we laughed because even in heaven, he's still trying to make moves and keep the boys away. Natalia's experienced so much loss, I couldn't let her miss out on her once in a lifetime opportunity to go to her senior prom. Thank you for flying out to accept daddy's Hall of Fame jacket and fly home the next morning. #HallofFame #SeniorPromNight."
For her part, Natalia shared the same selfie to her Instagram Story and added, "Love you."
One of the most memorable moments from the weekend's Hall of Fame Class of 2020 events was Vanessa and Natalia accepting Kobe's posthumous jacket and ring on the evening of May 14. Vanessa then placed the jacket on her daughter, leading the crowd to begin chanting Kobe's name.
Vaness Bryant, Natalia Bryant, 2020 Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala
At the May 15 ceremony, Michael Jordan inducted Kobe, who died Jan. 26, 2020 in a tragic helicopter crash that also killed Kobe's 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other individuals.
In accepting the award on her late husband's behalf, Vanessa gave an emotional speech following Michael's presentation.
"His most cherished accomplishment was being the very best girl dad," she said of Kobe. "I want to thank him for somehow finding ways to dedicate time to not only being an incredible athlete, a visionary, entrepreneur and storyteller, but for also being an amazing family man."
Back in March, Vanessa took to Instagram to celebrate Natalia's acceptance into USC. "I know daddy is so PROUD OF YOU," she posted. "I am so PROUD OF YOU!!"
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See the sweet way Natalia Bryant honored her dad Kobe ahead of his Hall of Fame induction ceremony
The late NBA legend was meant to be inducted last year, but the ceremony was postponed because of the pandemic.
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