Just last year, Kobe Bryant was nominated for the Basketball Hall of Fame 2020 Hoop Class.
Kobe is expected to be will be a first-ballot inductee this summer.
Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement to the Athletic that "Kobe will be honored the way he should be."
The Hall of Fame lit up Kobe’s name in yellow and purple, the colors of the L.A. Lakers, in remembrance following his death Sunday morning. Bryant spent 20 years with the team.
Bryant and his daughter, Gianna were among nine victims of a helicopter crash near Los Angeles.
"The Hall of Fame joins the rest of the basketball world in mourning the untimely passing of Kobe Bryant," read a tweet from the Hall of Fame account.
"We offer our sincerest condolences to the Bryant family and those affected by this tragedy."
There’s no denying that Kobe Bryant left his mark on the basketball world. A number of NBA teams held a moment of silence before tip-off yesterday to honor the life and legacy of Bryant.
Bryant is a 5x champion, 18-time All-Star, and his list of accomplishments both on and off the court are lengthy.
Bryant did have some off-court controversy. He was accused of sexual assault in Colorado in 2003 before the criminal case was dropped the next year.
In 2017, Bryant retired his jersey at the Staples Center in Anaheim, discussing the importance of hard work.