Bryant, Garnett, Duncan headline Hall of Fame finalists
Kobe Bryant was one of eight finalists announced Friday as candidates for enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, a decision that came as absolutely no surprise in his first year of eligibility.
Joining Bryant as firsttime finalists for the Hall: 15-time All-Star Tim Duncan, fellow 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett and 10-time WNBA All-Star and fourtime Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings.
The other finalists have all been to this point previously: Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, five-time Division II women’s coach of the year Barbara Stevens of Bentley, and four-time national men’s college coach of the year Eddie Sutton.
This year’s enshrinement class will be announced on April 4 at college basketball’s Final Four in Atlanta. The induction ceremony in Springfield, Mass. is Aug. 29.
Bryant was an 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and is the No. 4 scorer in league history. He, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, died in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Jan. 26.
MRI CONFIRMS GROIN STRAIN FOR BLAZERS' LILLARD >> An MRI on Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard confirmed the diagnosis of a strained right groin, and the All-Star will be re-evaluated in a week. Selected for both the 3-Point Contest and the All-Star Game on Sunday at Chicago, Lillard will miss both events.
Lillard sustained the injury late in Wednesday night’s 111-104 loss at Memphis and left the game for good with 3:22 to play.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was named to replace Lillard in the AllStar Game.
COMMON LEADS TEAM WILBON >> Rapper and actor
Common had 10 points and four steals to earn Most Valuable Player honors in the All-Star Celebrity Game as Team Wilbon beat Team Stephen A, 62-47.
Rapper Famous Los scored 25 points and former NBA player Quentin Richardson had 12 points and 12 rebounds at Wintrust Arena in the first on-court event of All-Star Weekend.
The 47-year-old Common also had five rebounds and three assists and led a trapping defense by Team Wilbon that broke open the game in the second quarter.
WNBA player A’ja Wilson had 11 points and rapper Quavo and former NBA player Darius Miles had nine points apiece for Team Stephen A.
The victory capped a winning day for coach Michael Wilbon, who earlier in the day was announced along with NBA play-byplay announcer Mike Breen as a recipient of the 2020 Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. NBA STARS STAR-STRUCK BY OBAMA >> Zion Williamson and Trae Young are used to meeting fans who are typically a bit nervous during those interactions.
This was different. This time, they were nervous to meet the fan.
Former President Barack Obama — a huge basketball fan, officially the game’s First Fan during his eight years in office — made an unannounced appearance Friday at an NBA Cares event during All-Star weekend in his hometown of Chicago with several of the league’s top rookies, second-year players and coaches. The event was for volunteers to fill several backpacks with school supplies, and that work predictably stopped when Obama walked into the room.
“You’re doing fantastic,” Obama told All-Star Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, who was seated at a table with Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd when the 44th president made his way to their side of the room.