LeBron James paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman by crossing his arms over his chest to form the Wakanda Forever salute in honour of the Black Panther actor.
The basketball star led a pre-game moment of silence on Saturday before the game of five playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers.
James also paid tribute to Boseman on social media by sharing a picture of the two of them smiling together.
He captioned the picture on his Instagram with “Rest in Paradise King”.
Boseman’s death after a four-year battle with colon cancer was announced on Sunday.
He died at home surrounded by his loved ones, including wife Taylor Simone Ledward, his family said.
Boseman never discussed the illness publicly and films including Black Panther, Da 5 Bloods and Avengers: Endgame were all filmed “during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy”, they added.
The tweet which revealed the news of Boseman’s death has become Twitter’s most-liked tweet in the site’s history.
As of Sunday morning, the tweet had amassed more than 6.5 million likes and three million retweets and quotes.
Retweeting a post by Boseman which included a picture of the pair talking, former US President Barack Obama recalled meeting the actor when he visited the White House to work with children while he was starring in 2013 film 42.
“You could tell right away that he was blessed,” the former president tweeted.
“To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years.”
Denzel Washington, who paid for Boseman to study acting in the UK, also paid tribute.
Double Oscar-winner Washington, 65, described the Black Panther actor as a “gentle soul and brilliant artist”.
“He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.
“God bless Chadwick Boseman.”
The British American Drama Academy said it was “deeply saddened” by Boseman’s death in a post on Instagram, sharing a picture of the actor from 1998.
In the post, former dean and director Ian Wooldridge, who worked with Boseman on Romeo And Juliet, said: “Chadwick was diligent, enthusiastic, with a great wit; generous and a joy to work with in the room.
“He was always smiling. He had a tremendous relationship with language and text. He knew how to use it and relish it.
“His body of work is immense for someone who was still so young. He was special.”
The post said that actors auditioning for the academy had told of their “deep admiration for Chadwick and how his thoughtful and moving performances influenced their work”.
“Many have said that they were auditioning specifically to train at Bada so as to follow in his footsteps,” it added.
Additional reporting by PA Media.
