Basketball legend Kobe Bryant has been named as a finalist for the sport’s official hall of fame, three weeks after he was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash.

Bryant, fourth all time in NBA scoring, played for the Los Angeles Lakers during an 20-year career that was highlighted by five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs and one league MVP.

The announcement he was being named as a finalist to the hall of fame came during the NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, which culminates on Sunday with an exhibition game featuring the sport’s best.

The three-day event is likely to be muted as the National Basketball Association pays homage to the dead player.

“I’ve never seen in my long life an athlete passing that had the impact that Kobe’s passing had on people, people on the street, people that didn’t even know him,” said Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, after the announcement was made.

Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Show all 30 1 /30 Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Firefighters working at the scene of a helicopter crash in California which inlvoved NBA basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter Gianna and seven others AP Kobe Bryant helicopter crash LA County Fire personnel on the scene All eight passengers and the pilot were killed in the crash Instagram/timhortonphot/AFP Kobe Bryant helicopter crash People gathered near the scene Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash LA county firefighters on the scene Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash LA county firefighters on the scene of a helicopter crash that reportedly killed Kobe Bryant in Calabasas, California, U.S., January 26, 2020. REUTERS/Gene Blevins GENE BLEVINS REUTERS Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Smoke above a scene of a helicopter crash in the hills EPA/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Kobe Bryant helicopter crash A crowd gathers near the scene USA TODAY Sports Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Firefighters at the scene EPA/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Kobe Bryant helicopter crash People gathered near the scene Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Firefighters work the scene of a helicopter crash where former NBA star Kobe Bryant died, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Mark J. Terrill AP Kobe Bryant helicopter crash LA county firefighters are seen before taking off to a scene of a helicopter crash LACoFD via Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Firefighters work the scene AP Kobe Bryant helicopter crash People watch as smoke rises from the scene Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash People react near the scene Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash LA county firefighters on the scene Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Mourners look at an image of Kobe Bryant on a large screen outside the Staples Center Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Los Angeles County Fire Department fire fighters near the scene AFP via Getty Kobe Bryant helicopter crash A woman reacts near the scene of the crash AFP via Getty Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Law enforcement officers investigate the scene Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Mourners arrive at a makeshift shrine at Staples Center Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Mourners gather at a makeshift shrine Reuters Kobe Bryant helicopter crash A fan mourns the death of Kobe Bryant outside the Staples Center Getty Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Fans mourn the loss outside the Staples Center USA TODAY Sports Kobe Bryant helicopter crash People gather around a makeshift memorial AFP via Getty Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Players and fans observe a moment of silence for former NBA player Kobe Bryant before a basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies AP Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Fans gather at LA Live in Los Angeles to pay their respects USA TODAY Sports Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Fans react at a memorial at the LA Live entertainment complex EPA Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Kobe Bryant fans grieve at a small memorial at the entrance of the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks AP Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Thousands of fans mourn the loss of Kobe Bryant with make shift memorials across from Staples Center AP Kobe Bryant helicopter crash Mourners gather in Microsoft Square near the Staples Center to pay respects to Kobe Bryant Reuters

“In my case it was personal – so much more difficult for me and family,” said Colangelo, a long-time NBA executive who was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Joining Bryant as finalists were former NBA stars Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh, along with former Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) stars Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings.

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Bryant was on his way with his daughter Gianna, and seven others to a youth basketball tournament on January 26 when the helicopter they were in crashed in Calabassas, California.

A memorial service for Bryant and the others killed in the crash is tore held on February 24 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.