Kobe Bryant will be a no-question first-ballot Hall of Famer when he gains eligibility in 2021. Between Bryant and Tim Duncan, that Hall of Fame class is going to be one for the ages. While one could probably assume Gregg Popovich will be the person inducting Duncan, the Bryant induction is a lot more complicated.
The truth is, Kobe Bryant’s competitive nature resulted in a lot of burned bridges. He’s had major issues with the two most likely induction speech candidates, Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal. And while those relationships are in a much better place now, it isn’t a lock that Bryant would pick either one of those guys to induct him into the Hall of Fame. He doesn’t have a Gregg Popovich to fall back on.
Complex sat down with Kobe Bryant for an interview in Paris at Nike’s “Le Quartier” event, and asked him about his eventual Hall of Fame induction. While Kobe did name Jackson as a potential induction speech candidate, his other option would create quite a moment.
“Wow, that’s a great question,’ Bryant said when he was asked about his impending induction ceremony. Then he narrowed it down to a list of two.
“In terms of who might present, for me it’s two people: Michael Jordan or Phil Jackson. They’ve been the greatest mentors, not only in my career as an athlete, but also as a person. And what I might say is just a lot of thank yous. ‘Cause I’ve had a lotta help along the way. A lotta lotta help.”
Nobody would question Bryant’s decision to have Jackson do the honors considering their history, but listening to Michael Jordan talk about Bryant on that stage would be an incredible scene. Jordan is kind of a wildcard in this setting. He was heavily criticized for his own Hall of Fame speech because of the arrogant tone of his words. He’s not a big believer in filters, either, so hearing his real, honest thoughts on Kobe with a live microphone is something we all need.
If you haven’t gone back to watch Jordan’s induction speech in a while, you should go ahead and do that now.
It’s really something else. This needs to happen now.
