Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett Headline 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Class

Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett highlight the group of inductees voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2020 class Saturday.

WNBA player Tamika Catchings, FIBA executive Patrick Baumann and coaches Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich, Kim Mulkey and Barbara Stevens round out this year's class. Bryant, Duncan, Garnett and Catchings were first-time nominees. Finalists needed 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee to be elected into the Hall of Fame. 

The late Bryant played solely for the Lakers during his 20-year career and brought five NBA titles to Los Angeles. The 18-time All-Star established himself as a Lakers legend and one of the top scorers in NBA history. Bryant died tragically on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash that killed his daughter, Gianna, and seven others, and was widely expected to be inducted posthumously with this class.

Duncan spent 19 seasons with the Spurs and won five championships with the franchise. He is the only player in NBA history with 1,000 or more wins with one team. Duncan helped turn San Antonio into a powerhouse, earned 15 All-Star nods and was named league MVP twice.

Garnett played for the Timberwolves during his first 12 NBA seasons and became one of the franchise's first superstars. During his Wolves career, he led Minnesota to eight straight playoff appearances. Garnett joined the Celtics for the 2007-08 season and immediately helped the team win the NBA title. The 15-time All-Star reached the NBA Finals again in 2010 but fell to Bryant and the Lakers.

Catchings spent her entire 14-year WNBA career with the Indiana Fever and helped the team win the 2012 WNBA championship. The 10-time All-Star was named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year five times and remains the league's all-time steals leader (1,074).

The 2020 HOF class was scheduled to be announced at the Final Four this weekend per tradition, but the NCAA tournament was canceled last month due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, ESPN's Rece Davis announced the class from the network's studio on television.

The HOF still plans to hold its enshrinement ceremony on Aug. 29 in Springfield, Mass., although those plans are subject to change depending on the pandemic.