Sports Illustrated pays tribute to Kobe Bryant with 100-page special issue

Kobe Bryant to be inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame: chairman

The chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame said Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles, will be inducted into the 2020 class.

LOS ANGELES - The late Kobe Bryant will be immortalized in his own special issue of Sports Illustrated.

The official Twitter account for the publication released an image of the cover of the commemorative issue. On it, Bryant flashes his trademark grin while adorned in his purple Los Angeles Lakers uniform.

The issue is set to hit newsstands on Friday, Feb. 7 at a retail price of $15.99.

But as of Feb. 4, the issue was out of stock on Sports Illustrated’s website.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.