Tinseltown’s luminaries paid homage to Kobe Bryant in numerous thoughtful ways at the Oscars on Sunday night.
The NBA legend was killed in a helicopter crash in California on January 26 alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
The Academy paid tribute to the basketball great by featuring him as the first person in their in memorian section, which is dedicated to film industry figures who have died in the last 12 months.
They screened a photo of a smiling Kobe holding his Oscar, which he won in 2018 for Best Animated Short.
He became the first professional athlete to win an Oscar for Dear Basketball, which was an animated adaptation of a poem he wrote explaining his love for the game just before he retired.
Alongside the snap was a quote of his that read: ‘Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged.
‘You have to keep moving. You have to keep going.’
Elsewhere, director Spike Lee remembered Kobe by wearing a purple suit with yellow piping – the same colours the LA Lakers wear.
He also had the number 24 on his lapels and on his back in homage to the NBA all-star, who wore that number for the second half of his career.
When Spike was asked why he chose to pay tribute to Kobe, he told ABC: ‘Tribute. Honor. Homage. We all miss him.’
During the ceremony, former NFL player Matthew A. Cherry dedicated his award for Best Animated Short to Kobe.
Matthew, who won the gong alongside Karen Rupert Toliver for their film Hair Love, referenced Kobe’s own 2018 win in the same category.
The filmmaker told the audience: ‘This award is dedicated to Kobe Bryant.
‘May we all have a second act as great as his was.’
When Kobe scooped his own gong in 2018, he had thanked his wife Vanessa and their four daughters in his acceptance speech.
‘I don’t know if it’s possible. I mean, as basketball players we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble but I’m glad we do a little bit more than that,’ he told the audience.
‘Thank you, Academy, for this amazing honor.’
He went on: ‘And to my wife Vanessa, our daughters Natalia, Gianna, and Bianka,’ Bryant added. “Ti amo con tutto il mio cuore [I love you with all my heart]. You are my inspiration. Thank you so much, guys, thank you.’
The basketball star was just 41 when he died and the causes of the crash are still being investigated.
A memorial service will be held for him on February 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to celebrate the sports star’s life.
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