At the upcoming induction ceremony at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame on May 15, No. 23 will be presenting No. 8.
When the late Kobe Bryant is inducted into the Hall of Fame next month, Michael Jordan will serve as his presenter.
READ MORE: While You Were Working: Phil Jackson Compared Kobe and MJ
Bryant will enter the Hall of Fame as part of a superstar class that includes Tim Duncan (who will be presented by former teammate David Robinson), and Kevin Garnett (who will be presented by Isiah Thomas, a fellow Chicago native.)
The induction was originally set for last year but with the pandemic things had to be postponed. Also Rudy Tomjanovich the two-time championship-winning coach of the Houston Rockets, will be presented for enshrinement by franchise icons Hakeem Olajuwon and Calvin Murphy.
Jordan, who surprised attendees at Bryant’s public memorial service by eulogizing the L.A. Lakers legend and sharing very intimate and previously unknown details of their friendship, was inducted into the Hall in 2009.
READ MORE: Michael Jordan Typically Comes Through In The Clutch At Kobe’s Memorial
“Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends, Jordan said at the February 2020 memorial service. “But we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend. He was like a little brother …. at first it was a little aggravating, then it becomes a passion. As I got to know him I wanted to be the best big brother I could be.”
3 Reasons Why MJ Is The Perfect Choice
1. It’s the family’s decision and considering they chose MJ to deliver a very poignant eulogy at his memorial service, it was a pitch-perfect address and one of the few instances in which Jordan showed raw emotion in public.
He stated “When Kobe died, a little piece of me died.”
2. Bryant was always chasing Jordan and used “His AirNess” as the ambitious template for his career, and the driving force behind his unmatched daily commitment to greatness. At times Bryant even seemed to share DNA with Jordan, from his deadly turnaround jumper, fundamental footwork and grace in the air to his clutch cojones, and other countless similarities.
3. In the documentary “The Last Dance,” Bryant credits Michael Jordan with helping him along early in his career. Kobe said it was a rough early couple of years in the league for him and he points out the four airballs he shot against Utah in the 1997 playoffs. Jordan told him don’t stop shooting and that’s the only way he’d overcome that. Kobe says there’s no me without MJ.
