Basketball Hall Of Fame Honors Lakers’ Kobe Bryant With Memorial, Vigil

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame set up a memorial in its lobby for Kobe Bryant on Monday, encouraging fans to honor Bryant’s legacy and pay their respects.

The Hall of Fame changed its sign to read “KOBE” in purple and gold letters prior to the memorial in honor of the Los Angeles Lakers legend who died alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a helicopter crash Sunday morning. A vigil was held at 8:24 p.m. ET, per MassLive.com’s Alexandra Francisco.

Bryant will be a first-ballot enshrinement into the Hall of Fame’s 2020 class, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

“Kobe will be honored the way he should be,” chairman Jerry Colangelo said Monday.

The Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Mass., is just one of many organizations in the Bay State that are honoring the Lakers legend. TD Garden illuminated the exterior of the building with purple and gold lights, in addition to purple lighting for the escalator inside. There also is a billboard that reads “Legend” on I-93 in Braintree.

Bryant averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game during his 20-year NBA career. He was 41.