Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods Joining Orange County's New HOF, First Class Ever

The accolades for Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods continue to pour in ... it was just revealed the two sports legends will now be inducted into the newly created Orange County Hall of Fame in California later this week!!

The late NBA superstar and the golfing icon will join eight others -- including Gwen Stefani and Walt Disney -- as part of the new HOF's first-ever class.

The ceremony will kick off on Friday at the County Administration North (CAN) Building in Santa Ana -- about an hour southeast of Los Angeles.

The HOF was launched early last year to recognize those who "shaped Orange County through their remarkable contributions" ... and officials deemed the Black Mamba and the Big Cat as two people who it just had to recognize first.

Bryant, of course, played in Southern California for 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers ... spending most of those years living in Newport Beach with his family before his tragic death in 2020.

Woods, meanwhile, grew up in Orange County ... learning how to strike balls in Cypress before his golfing career really took off.

Both athletes have previously gotten honors in the county -- officials declared Aug. 24 as Kobe Bryant Day following his passing ... while Woods has his own Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim that's helped over two million students through its programs.

In addition to Woods, Bryant, Stefani and Disney ... American diver Greg Louganis -- who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Games -- and seven-time Olympic swimming medalist Amanda Beard will also be inducted Friday.

Bill Medley, Frank Jao, General William Lyon of the United States Air Force, and Henry Segerstrom, who was the founding chairman of the Segerstrom Centers for the Arts in Orange County, round out the class.