Boston Celtics big man luminary Kevin Garnett and the rest of the 2020 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame class may have to wait until some time in 2021 if the viral pandemic currently gripping Massachusetts and the rest of the planet doesn’t let up in time.
Currently shuttered with the state continuing to be under a stay-at-home-order due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the Springfield institution hopes to reopen to the public some time between mid-June and the fourth of July, reports MassLive’s Jim Kinney.
The hope is that using new safety protocols and other precautions will be enough to make the venue safe for reopening at that point, though John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the Hall related the situation might change, presumably based on how the pandemic progresses.
Basketball Hall of Fame eyes June or July opening; enshrinement of class including Kobe Bryant still set for late August https://t.co/L3Gkgt7v60
— masslivenews (@masslivenews) May 1, 2020
Should the pandemic linger or rebound and force a delay in the Hall’s 2020 class induction ceremony — currently slated for late August — into October, the class could see the formal induction pushed back to 2021.
The 2020 Hall of Fame Class is comprised of 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant (who tragically passed in a helicopter accident this year), 15-time All-Star Tim Duncan, and 10-time WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings in addition to Garnett and several others.
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