'He's still winning': Kobe Bryant inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett
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May 16, 2021, 1:29 AM
13 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleVanessa 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.
