Kobe Bryant has two legends in mind to induct him into the Hall of Fame in a few years.
This is the second season that the Los Angeles Lakers are without Kobe Bryant since his retirement. It is basically a sure thing that Bryant will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. However, he will have to wait four years for that to happen.
Players have to be out of the game for five years before being eligible for the Hall of Fame. Bryant still has some time until that day, but he already has some plans for it.
Bryant already has two people in mind that he would like to have induct him into the Hall of Fame; Michael Jordan or Phil Jackson. Bryant said he would like to have one of them on stage with him during the induction if possible.
"“They’ve been the greatest mentors, not only in my career as an athlete, but also as a person,” Bryant said in an interview with Complex. “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.”"
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Jackson was the head coach for the Lakers for 11 seasons with Bryant there. The two combined for five NBA Championships in their years together. Bryant combined with Shaquille O’Neal for a three-peat and then teamed up with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to win two additional titles later on. In addition to the five titles, the Lakers also won another two Western Conference Finals.
As coach of the Lakers, Jackson went 610-292 for a win percentage of .676. A lot of those victories can be attributed to Bryant’s help.
While Jackson’s tenure as the Lakers head coach was dominant, his Chicago Bulls teams with Michael Jordan won even more. Jackson and Jordan won six NBA Championships together, as Jackson compiled a record of 545-193. That was good for a .738 win percentage.
Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player that ever lived and Bryant emulated him on the court. No one has come as close to the dominance that Jordan had than Bryant. His killer instinct is also something Bryant rivaled as they were both intense competitors that would do whatever it took to win.
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If Bryant is able to get Jackson or Jordan to induct him into the Hall of Fame, it would be a great gesture. Both are great candidates for the honor.