Michael Jordan Named Presenter For Kobe Bryant At Naismith Hall of Fame

This week the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of Hall of Famers that were scheduled to present the much anticipated 2020 class of honorees. The high-profile presentation of the celebration will be done by Michael Jordan—who will honor Kobe Bryant on May 15th, 2021.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 decides the selection of previous inductees to make the presentations. Due to Kobe Bryant’s tragic accident back in January of 2020, his family made the decision of selecting Jordan, who spoke at Kobe’s memorial service in February 2020.

It was at the memorial service where Jordan gave the true insight of their close relationship.

“At first, it was an aggravation,” Jordan said of Bryant constantly peppering him with questions early in his career, per ESPN. “Then it became a passion.

“As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother I could be.”

Jordan will be a busy man at the ceremony. He is the only Hall of Famer that will present two candidates to the Hall of Fame, introducing Baylor’s women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey into the Hall as well.

The other 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees and Presenters are as follows.

  • Patrick Baumann, presented by Russ Granik (’13), Vlade Divac (’19)
  • Kobe Bryant, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)
  • Tamika Catchings, presented by Alonzo Mourning (’14), Dawn Staley (’13)
  • Tim Duncan, presented by David Robinson (’09)
  • Kevin Garnett, presented by Isiah Thomas (’00)
  • Kim Mulkey, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)
  • Barbara Stevens, presented by Geno Auriemma (’06), Muffet McGraw (’17)
  • Eddie Sutton, presented by John Calipari (’15), Bill Self (’17), Sidney Moncrief (’19)
  • Rudy Tomjanovich, presented by Calvin Murphy (’93), Hakeem Olajuwon (’08)

The 2020 class of honorees had to wait a year for induction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.