Kobe Bryant

Anthony Davis said Friday it would have been "a dream" to play alongside Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Davis explained he forged a friendship with Bryant, who'll be posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, while playing together for the United States national team.

The five-time NBA champion was impressed with Davis' development into one of the league's best players.

"I know he always talked about [how] he loved playing with me and against me in the Olympics [at practice] and seeing how much I've grown as a player," Davis told reporters. "He could only imagine what it would be like now. But [he] never actually came out and said, 'I would like for you to be on the Lakers with me.' Which would have been a dream, to be honest."

Bryant died in a January 2020 helicopter crash that also killed his daughter, Gianna, and seven other people in Calabasas, California.

He was selected to the 2020 Hall of Fame class, one of the most star-studded groups in history with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Tamika Catchings among the other inductees, but the ceremony was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kobe will be presented by NBA legend Michael Jordan on Saturday.

In 2018, Bryant told ESPN's Jalen Rose it took a "special" type of player to accept the burden of carrying the Lakers' legacy forward, and he believed those up to the task didn't need recruitment:

"You know, the thing about this franchise is that you shouldn't need recruiting to come in it. It takes a special person to want to play for this franchise and take the pressure that comes along with playing for this franchise. The pressure of following Magic [Johnson]'s footsteps, myself and the dynasty that we've had, it takes a special person to do that. And if I need to convince you to come here, to carry that legacy forward, then you ain't the one to be it."

Davis was traded to the Lakers in July 2019 to link up with LeBron James, and the superstar tandem led the franchise to its 17th championship last year, its first title since the Bryant-led 2010 squad.

The 28-year-old Chicago native also discussed Kobe's lasting legacy Friday:

"I think his impact was very powerful before the tragedy. I think he became even more impactful on our youth, on our generation. I just think that, I mean, you can see it with everyone wearing his shoes. Even before, the way he approached the game, the way he went about his life, his work ethic, I think he was very impactful.

"Just for me, just being someone that was knowing him since I stepped foot in the league, all the way back to the USA team, seeing everything he did on the floor, off the floor kind of inspired me to follow that same path and have that same work ethic. And then just being here in a Laker uniform, it's even more inspiring for me to try to continue the legacy that he built here. And I think that goes for guys all around the league, just being able to realize the importance of his body of work on our game and for our generation. He's the guy that everyone looked up to and wanted to be like."

Davis added he carries Bryant's Mamba mentality "all throughout my life now," saying it's a "great mindset to have, to be honest."

The Lakers have a road game against the Indiana Pacers at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, which will give them enough time to finish the contest in time to watch the Hall of Fame enshrinement, which begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

It's been more than a year since the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 2020 class, and the group that includes Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan will be officially inducted Saturday.

Here is a look at the broadcast time for the ceremony, per the Hall of Fame's official website.

2020 Hall of Fame Class Induction Ceremony

Date: Saturday, May 15

Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN

Sam Quinn of CBS Sports shared a look at the inductees and presenters, noting all presenters must also be members of the Hall of Fame:

• Patrick Baumann, presented by Russ Granik and Vlade Divac
• Kobe Bryant, presented by Michael Jordan
• Tamika Catchings, presented by Alonzo Mourning and Dawn Staley
• Tim Duncan, presented by David Robinson
• Kevin Garnett, presented by Isiah Thomas
• Kim Mulkey, presented by Michael Jordan
• Barbara Stevens, presented by Geno Auriemma and Muffet McGraw
• Eddie Sutton, presented by John Calipari, Bill Self and Sidney Moncrief
• Rudy Tomjanovich, presented by Calvin Murphy and Hakeem Olajuwon

While all of the inductees are among the best to play or coach in basketball history, Bryant, Garnett and Duncan stand out.

They are three of the players who defined the post-Michael Jordan era of the NBA and combined for 11 championships, 48 All-Star selections, four MVPs, five NBA Finals MVPs, 39 All-NBA selections and 39 All-Defensive selections.

The trio was linked throughout their playing careers and will forever be enshrined as Hall of Fame classmates.

Bryant's induction figures to be particularly emotional considering this will be an opportunity to reflect on his incredible career in the aftermath of his death in January 2020.

That Jordan is inducting him is notable considering Bryant idolized His Airness and modeled much of his game on the Chicago Bulls legend.

Jordan also spoke about Bryant at the latter's memorial at Staples Center in February 2020 and became quite emotional.

"When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died," he said.

Jordan isn't the only one who will speak about Bryant during the ceremony, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Vanessa Bryant will honor her late husband and appear on stage as well.

Natalia Bryant, the eldest daughter of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, wore the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame jacket in honor of her dad on Friday:

She wore the jacket alongside other class of 2020 Hall of Fame members and representatives.

Kobe is part of a star-studded class that includes Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Eddie Sutton (coach), Rudy Tomjanovich (coach), Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey (coach), Barbara Stevens (coach) and Patrick Baumann (contributor) .

The enshrinement ceremony will take place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Saturday. It was delayed one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bryant's on-court accolades include five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, 2007-08 NBA MVP honors, 15 All-NBA team nods and 18 All-Star Game appearances.

Vanessa Bryant helped design an exhibit for her late husband, Kobe Bryant, that will be on display at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. 

The exhibit, titled "Kobe: A Basketball Life," was revealed Friday: 

The exhibit's unveiling comes on the eve of Bryant's formal induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Los Angeles Lakers legend died at age 41 in a helicopter crash that killed nine people, including his daughter Gianna, in January 2020. 

John Doleva, Hall of Fame president and chief executive, told Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times that Bryant's exhibit "is about 600 square feet more than any other Hall of Famer gets." 

Greif noted Bryant is only the second player to receive their own Hall of Fame exhibit. Michael Jordan's opened in 2009 and ran for five years. 

Bryant was elected into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class, but the induction ceremony was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will be one of nine basketball legends, including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Tamika Catchings, honored Saturday.

In addition to Vanessa speaking in honor of her late husband, Jordan will present Bryant at the ceremony. 

Kevin Garnett has spoken about his feelings ahead of Saturday's Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. 

In a conversation with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Garnett said Kobe Bryant not being there "is going to be super emotional for everybody."

Bryant, Garnett and Tim Duncan were among the nine-member Hall of Fame class of 2020. 

Their induction ceremony was originally going to be held on Aug. 20, 2020, but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The ceremony is now scheduled to be held on Saturday at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. 

Bryant died two months before the 2020 Hall of Fame class was announced. He was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Jan. 26, 2020. 

The Hall of Fame announced last month that Michael Jordan will present Bryant at the ceremony. Charania added that Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's widow, will speak in honor of her husband. 

Bryant tweeted about Garnett after he announced his retirement from the NBA in Sept. 2016:

"Kobe was one of my dear friends," Garnett said during a February appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (h/t Jason Duaine Hahn of People). 

Garnett and Bryant had a friendly rivalry on the court. They played a total of 76 games against each other between the regular season and playoffs. Bryant had a 45-31 edge, but they split their two head-to-head meetings in the NBA Finals. 

According to USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer, Bryant's attorneys said that 18 members of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and Fire Department either shared or were in possession of photos of the dead at the scene of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and seven others.

Vanessa Bryant initially filed suit in September, alleging deputies from the LASD took unauthorized photos of the crash site and seeking damages for negligence, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She identified four of the deputies in a series of Instagram posts. 

One deputy trainee, Joey Cruz, was accused of entering a bar and telling the patrons he had worked at the crash site. In addition, he showed photos of the crash to another person at the establishment, with security footage purportedly confirming he was "zooming in and out of the images while displaying them to the bartender."

Per Schrotenboer, the most recent filing on Bryant's behalf said two representatives from the LAFD took pictures of the crash they say "only served to appeal to baser instincts and desires for what amounted to visual gossip." They allegedly then shared them with a third LAFD member.

According to ESPN.com, two firefighters were sent "intention to discharge" letters in December, while the third firefighter received an "intention to suspend" letter.

L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed in March he had ordered eight of his deputies to delete crash photos to ensure they didn't reach the public.

"That was my No. 1 priority, was to make sure those photos no longer exist," he said of the situation. "We identified the deputies involved, they came to the station on their own and had admitted they had taken them and they had deleted them. And, we're content that those involved did that."

However, Schrotenboer wrote Bryant's attorneys are still looking into whether Villanueva's order amounts to the destruction of evidence.

Vanessa Bryant will take the podium for Kobe Bryant's Basketball Hall of Fame induction Saturday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan will serve as Kobe Bryant's presenter for the event. Bryant was voted into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class, but the class' formal induction ceremony was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bryant, their daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo confirmed days later the 41-year-old would be enshrined alongside the greatest players in the sport's history.

Vanessa told ESPN's Rece Davis she and the Bryant family were "extremely proud of him" when his Hall of Fame status was formally announced in April 2020.

He joined a star-studded group that includes 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, two-time MVP Tim Duncan, 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings and three-time national championship-winning coach Kim Mulkey.

Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion and the league's MVP in 2007-08. His 33,643 points are the fourth-most in history, putting him ahead of Jordan (32,292 points).

Between his playing career and the work he did in retirement with younger players around the league and in youth basketball, Bryant's legacy will continue on for years to come.

One of Kobe Bryant's game-worn high school jerseys is being sold at auction.

Per the official listing from Leland Auctions, Bryant's No. 33 Lower Merion jersey received a perfect A10 rating from Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services.

According to TMZ Sports, the auction house believes the jersey could end up selling for more than $200,000.

The consignor wrote in a letter of authenticity that Bryant personally gave him the jersey as well as "game-worn material from said NBA player's rookie year."

Bryant attended Lower Merion High School in a Philadelphia suburb from 1992-96. He was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and the Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior during the 1995-96 season.

After skipping college to turn pro, Bryant was drafted No. 13 overall by the Charlotte Hornets, and his draft rights were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac.

Bryant was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Jan. 26, 2020. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three months later.

The final conversation between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan consisted of three things: tequila, family and, of course, basketball.

Ahead of inducting Bryant into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, Jordan revealed the contents of his final text-message exchange with Kobe in an interview with Jackie MacMullan of ESPN:

"This tequila is awesome," Kobe texted, referring to Jordan's Cincoro Tequila, a bottle of which was sent to Bryant at the launch.

"Thank you, my brother," Jordan responded.

"Yes, sir. Family good?" Kobe replied.

"All good. Yours?"

"All good."

Jordan smiled, then decided to have a little fun. "He was really into coaching Gigi," MJ explains, "so I hit him up about that."

"Happy holidays," Jordan texted back, "and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"

"I added that little crying/laughing emoji," Jordan chuckles.

"Ah, back at you, man," Kobe wrote. "Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8."

Bryant and Jordan shared a friendship that only grew as both aged. Jordan referred to Bryant as his "little brother" at the memorial service held for the Lakers great and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, after both were killed in a January 2020 helicopter crash.

He is set to honor Bryant again this weekend, serving as the inductee for Bryant's Hall of Fame enshrinement. Kobe spent most of his young career modeling his game and his image after Jordan, combining their near-identical size and stature with the type of ruthless competitiveness rarely seen in the modern era. While Bryant is not widely considered the best NBA player of the post-Jordan era, he's certainly the one that draws the most obvious comparisons. 

Their personal relationship, while mostly happening behind the scenes, also grew over the years, with Bryant seeking Jordan's counsel throughout his NBA career on topics both on and off the floor. 

Jordan said Vanessa Bryant asked him to induct Kobe into the Hall of Fame. He said he believes Bryant would have asked himself or Shaquille O'Neal to do the honors if he were still alive.

"It's going to be a great honor, to be honest. It's like standing up for a family member," Jordan said. "He paid me the highest respect by trying to emulate certain things I did. And I can only repay that by showing my support and admiration for a guy who I felt was one of the greatest to ever play the game."

Bryant retired with five NBA championships, winning two Finals MVPs to go along with 18 All-Star selections and the 2008 NBA MVP. He was the NBA's third-leading scorer upon his retirement before being passed by LeBron James last season.