Academy Awards 2020: Oscars Ceremony to Honor Kobe Bryant

Late basketball star and Oscar winner Kobe Bryant to be remembered

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will honor Kobe Bryant during their upcoming Oscars ceremony.

It is unclear of whether or not it will be as a special tribute outside of the traditional “In Memoriam” section. However, AMPAS sources have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Bryant will be honored during the telecast.

AMPAS also paid tribute to Bryant in an Instagram post, admiring his tenacity for success:

They doubted a kid could make it in the NBA and he proved them wrong.

They doubted he could win a championship and he proved them wrong.

They doubted he could make movies and he won an Oscar.

Like all great artists, Kobe Bryant proved the doubters wrong.

Rest in peace.

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A post shared by The Academy (@theacademy) on Jan 26, 2020 at 1:25pm PST

This will follow on the heels of similar tributes for Bryant that took place at the Grammys on Sunday night. Not only did individual artists Lizzo, Alicia Keys, and Boyz II Men honor Bryant’s passing in song, but the show’s organizers rearranged his retired jerseys at the Staples Center so that they would be more prominently displayed for the show.

The retired 41-year-old basketball star passed away suddenly in a helicopter crash on the morning of Sunday, January 26, 2020. The crash, which claimed the lives of Bryant, his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven others, occurred in foggy conditions in Calabasas, California.

A giant in and out of media

Bryant was a giant in the basketball world, having played with the Los Angeles Lakers for two decades and becoming a five-time NBA champion and 18-time All Star. During his retirement, Bryant was beginning to venture into other forms of entertainment. In 2017 he released the short film Dear Basketball, an animated love letter written in poetic prose to his sport of choice. The film, which was directed by animation legend Glen Keane, won the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 2018.

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