Kobe Bryant’s Basketball Hall Of Fame ceremony postponed to next year due to coronavirus pandemic
KOBE Bryant's Hall of Fame ceremony has been postponed until next year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The had been scheduled to be inducted on August 29, seven months on from in a helicopter crash.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame CEO John Doleva had earlier said the ceremony pushed back.
The event will now take place in Spring 2021, chairman of the board of governors Jerry Colangelo told .
He said the dates initially proposed for a later ceremony, October 10-12, were "just not feasible".
He added that the board would be meeting on June 10 to discuss possible dates in spring.
"We're definitely canceling," he said.
"It's going to have to be the first quarter of next year.
"We'll meet in a couple of weeks and look at the options of how and when and where."
The news comes just a day after the US death toll from the .
CLASS OF 2020 'VERY SPECIAL'
The Class of 2020 is to include a stellar line-up of former NBA stars, with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett set to be inducted alongside Bryant.
Also inducted will be former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, 10-time WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings, and former FIBA and IOC executive Patrick Baumann.
Colangelo also confirmed that the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 would not have a joint ceremony.
"We won't be combining them," he said.
"The Class of 2020 is a very special class and deserves its own celebration."
The Hall announced that Bryant would be included in its Class of 2020 just a day after his death on January 26.
Following the announcement, said: "Every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a steppingstone to be here.
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"Obviously we wish that he was here with us to celebrate. We're incredibly proud of him."
Bryant, along with his daughter and seven others, died when his helicopter crashed in foggy weather while on route to a training session in Los Angeles.
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