Academy Will Pay Tribute To Kobe Bryant During 2020 Oscar Ceremony

Jan 29, 2020 by apost team

Tragedy struck on the morning of January 26, 2020. Basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, passed away in a devastating helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also among the nine people on board and tragically lost her life as well. 

This year’s Oscar ceremony will take place on February 9, 2020, exactly two weeks after the terrible accident. Now rumor has it that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is planning to honor the basketball legend during their upcoming ceremony. 

As an Academy representative confirmed to Variety, “he will be acknowledged in the telecast.” 

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As every year there will be an emotional Memoriam montage showing all filmmakers, actors and actresses, sound designers, etc. who passed away since the last Oscar ceremony. As Variety reported, Kobe Bryant will be included in this montage. 

In addition, there have been a few indications about the Academy planning another special tribute to Kobe Bryant for this year’s ceremony.  

During his 20-year career, Kobe Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers and became a five-time N.B.A. champion. But what most people don’t know about the basketball icon is that he actually won his own Academy Award.

In 2018, Kobe Bryant received the Oscar Award for Best Animated Short Film for his work on the movie Dear Basketball. Glen Keane directed and animated the short film that was based on a poetic piece Bryant had written in 2015 to announce his retirement from his basketball career. Bryant also produced the short film and lent his voice to the animation. 

After accepting his Academy Award Bryant credited Oprah Winfrey and Shonda Rhimes for mentoring him on how to enter into the film business.

He also gave credit to his daughter Gianna who encouraged him to carry on as a filmmaker and telling him: “Well, Dad, you always tell us to go after our dreams, so man up.” This makes the fact that young Gianna lost her life alongside her father even sadder.  

May Kobe and Gianna Bryant rest in peace and may their families and survivors find comfort and solace soon. Don’t miss the Academy's tribute to Kobe Bryant during this year’s Oscar ceremony and be sure to pass this article along to other fans of the basketball legend.