The tributes and remembrances in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s death Sunday unsurprisingly continue to play out as the NBA world mourns his passing.
An upcoming tribute that will recognize Bryant’s accomplishments away from the court, however, will serve as stark reminder of how the post-career stage of the Lakers legend’s life — one that held so much promise — was tragically cut short.
Bryant, who won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for “Dear Basketball” in 2018, will be honored in some manner during the 92nd Academy Awards on Feb. 9.
It’s unclear at this point whether Bryant will be included in the “In Memoriam” vignette that occurs during every Academy Awards, as Bryant was not a member of the Academy despite his Oscar win.
“We can confirm that Kobe Bryant will be acknowledged in the telecast,” the Academy said in a statement issued this week, per Deadline.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and the seven other people who perished in Sunday’s helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., were also remembered with a moment of silence at the start of Monday’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon.
Bryant’s pursuits and interests were widespread and ambitious as he embarked upon his life after basketball following his retirement in 2016. The outpouring of grief across the world — not only from his fellow league luminaries but those outside the NBA as well — illustrates how so many have been left reeling by his sudden and shocking death.
How he will be memorialized at the Oscars certainly shows how his impact was felt well beyond the game of basketball.
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