Kobe Bryant | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Fans will need to wait longer for Kobe Bryant‘s induction ceremony.

The late Los Angeles Lakers star, who sadly died at 41 in January, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May of 2021, the NBA confirmed Saturday (November 28).

The event was originally planned to take place in August in Springfield, Mass., but delayed due to the pandemic. It will now happen from May 13 to May 15, 2021.

The annual event was initially slated to take place in August in Springfield, Massachusetts, but was delayed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and will now take place from May 13 to May 15.

He will join Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan in the class of 2020, as well as WNBA’s Tamika Catchings and coaches Kim Mulkey, Rudy Tomjanovich, Barbara Stevens and Eddie Sutton.

The 2020 inductees will join legends like Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.

Vanessa Bryant recently looked back at meeting Kobe for the first time.

Vanessa Bryant is reflecting on the first time she met Kobe Bryant.

Vanessa, 38, took to her Instagram on Friday (November 27) to mark 21 years since she and the late Lakers player first met.

“Love at first sight 11/27/99 #21,” Vanessa wrote along with a photo of she and Kobe at Disneyland.

Last year, Kobe honored the special day, sharing the same Disneyland pic with Vanessa along with a throwback photo of the couple on Instagram.

“On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant,” Kobe captioned his post. “I decided to take her on a date to Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style (pre 4princesses) I love you my mamacita per sempre.”

Kobe and Vanessa got married in 2001 and had four daughters together, Natalia, 17, Gianna, 13, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 1. The athlete and Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others in January.

Over the summer, Vanessa got two tattoos in honor of Kobe and Gianna.

Vanessa Bryant is celebrating the Los Angeles Lakers on their big win!

The 38-year-old widow of Kobe Bryant took to her Instagram Story on Sunday evening (October 11) to congratulate the Lakers after defeating the Miami Heat to win the 2020 NBA Finals.

Vanessa shared an old photo of Kobe with Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka, along with the caption, “Congratulations Uncle P! Congratulations @Lakers Kobe was right RP ‘stay the course- block out the noise’ – @kobebryant.”

She also added, “Wish Kobe and Gianna were here to see this.”

The win marks the Lakers’ 17th championship, and first since Kobe led the team to victory back in 2010.

The Lakers dedicated their season to Kobe after he died in a helicopter crash in January alongside his daughter GiGi and seven others.

Kobe played his entire 20-year career as a Lakers player, wearing jersey numbers 8 and 24.

California has passed a new bill following the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill on Monday (September 28) making it illegal for first responders to take unauthorized photos of the deceased at crime scenes. The bill will go into effect on January 1, 2021.

The legislation would make it a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $1,000 fine per violation, for a first responder to take a photo “for any purpose other than an official law enforcement purpose or a genuine public interest,” according to The Wrap.

The new bill was prompted by lawmakers after deputies in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took unauthorized photos of Kobe and the others at the site of their helicopter crash back in January, and were shared outside of the investigation, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Find out how Los Angeles will soon be honoring Kobe Bryant.

Vanessa Bryant is slamming her mother Sofia Urbieta Laine after she gave an interview claiming Vanessa kicked her out of the house after the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant in a helicopter accident earlier this year.

“She told me, ‘I need you to get out of this house.’ She also told me that she wanted her car and she wants it now,” Sofia said during an interview. She apparently was crying during the interview as well.

Now, Vanessa has issued a statement firing back at her mother’s claims.

“My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly, and yet my mother had the audacity to do a television interview speaking negatively of me while shedding tears for a car and a house that were not in her name,” Vanessa said in a statement (via Page Six).

“She has removed all her diamond jewelry, emptied the apartment I provided, and put away the furniture to make it look like she doesn’t have my support. My husband and I have supported her financially for the past 20 years, and continue to do so, in addition to her monthly alimony,” she added.

Vanessa added that her mother “has not been physically present or emotionally supportive of my daughters or me” since the late January tragedy.

“Now I see what is most important to my mother and it’s more than painful,” she said. “I hope that everything that is coming out about our personal relationship ends here.”

It’s obviously been an extremely difficult time for Vanessa and her family after losing Kobe and Gigi, 13. She recently had to mark Kobe‘s first birthday after his death.

Our continued thoughts are with Vanessa and daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.

Pau Gasol is honoring his late friend Kobe Bryant.

The 40-year-old basketball pro and wife Catherine McDonnell welcomed their first child, a baby girl, earlier this month.

“Our little one has finally arrived!! The delivery went really well and we couldn’t be happier!!” Pau wrote on Instagram.

Pau, who played on the Lakers with Kobe, revealed that he and his wife named their daughter after Kobe‘s daughter Gianna.

“Elisabet Gianna Gasol 😍, a very meaningful name for our super beautiful daughter!! ❤️👨‍👩‍👧 #girldad,” Pau continued in his announcement.

Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven other people tragically died in a helicopter crash on January 26.

The new parents chose Vanessa Bryant to be their daughter’s godmother.

“My goddaughter is here!!!! Congratulations @paugasol@catmcdonnell7 Love you 3 so much! So touched by your request to honor my Gigi ❤️Can’t wait to hold Elisabet Gianna Gasol ❤️,” Vanessa wrote on Instagram.

Find out how Pau honored Gianna on what would have been her 14th birthday back in May.

Shareef O’Neal is sharing an emotional find.

The 20-year-old son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal shared a photo of a cloud on social media earlier in the week – which he believed appeared to take the form of the number eight, just like one of the late Kobe Bryant‘s jersey numbers.

“I can’t believe I saw this today. It sent chills through my body .. it might be a stretch to some but I see it clear as day .. even the same font. Wow, so amazing #8 🕊🐍 WE MISS YOU,” Shareef captioned the emotional post.

That number was Kobe’s first jersey number as a Los Angeles Laker, later wearing 24. He’s the only player in league history to have two jersey numbers retired within the same team.

Some fans in the comments also not only agreed with him, but felt that they saw the number two in the bottom right of the image, representing his late daughter, Gianna Bryant.

Shaq recently opened up about his first meeting with Kobe.