It has been just over two weeks since Kobe Bryant tragically lost his life on Jan. 26 along with his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others.
And while a sense of normalcy appears to be returning to the sports world, the remembrance of Bryant will never fade. This was on full display at the 2020 Academy Awards — or the Oscars — when tributes to Bryant were plentiful.
The Oscars are home to one of Bryant’s proudest achievements. In 2018, Bryant took home the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for “Dear Basketball” just two years removed from retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Throughout the award show, there were three separate tributes and shout outs to Bryant with the first coming before the show even began. Spike Lee arrived on the red carpet in a purple and gold suit with the No. 24 embroidered on the lapel and the back, via The Hollywood Reporter:
Spike Lee pays tribute to Kobe Bryant with his #Oscars red carpet look https://t.co/BYOjau0Mir pic.twitter.com/PQ1xxI1kzY
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 9, 2020
The next tribute came when Matthew A. Cherry won the Oscar for his Animated Short Film, “Hair Love.” He dedicated the award to Bryant, via Bleacher Report:
"This award is dedicated to Kobe Bryant. May we all have a second act as great as his was."
Matthew Cherry honored Kobe during his Oscars acceptance speech.
(via @ABC)pic.twitter.com/vXmB4Quw8I
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 10, 2020
To cap it off, Bryant was honored at the beginning of the ‘In Memoriam’ segment by Billie Eilish, via Canal Plus:
In memoriam. ????@billieeilish rend hommage à ceux qui nous ont quittés.#Oscars, seulement sur CANAL+https://t.co/4TCrwWRkbx pic.twitter.com/44j6liNLNY
— CANAL+ (@canalplus) February 10, 2020
It’s apparent just how much Bryant meant to the world beyond sports as it’s rare to see one individual get honored so many times over the course of film’s biggest night.
It also shows that no matter how far removed the world gets from Bryant’s death, he’ll never be forgotten. His legacy is truly one that will live on forever.
