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Hollywood’s biggest night will honor one of its very own stars.
The 2020 Oscars are only a couple of weeks away, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to add something new to the telecast. E! News has learned that the Academy will pay tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, Calif.
He and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, were two of nine people who passed away due to the incident, which is still under investigation.
As fans of the Lakers legend might recall, Kobe earned an Oscar Award in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film. The movie, which was titled Dear Basketball, was based on a poem he wrote to announce his retirement from the NBA.
The short film was directed and animated by Glen Keane, who is best known for his work on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and many others.
At the time of accepting his award, Kobe was in awe over his win.
“This feels better than winning the championship, to be honest with you,” he said at the time, holding that famous gold statue. “Growing up as a kid, I dreamed of winning championships and working really hard to make that dream come true, but then to have something like this seemingly come out of left field.”
“I heard a lot of people telling me when I started writing and they would ask me, ‘What are you going to do when you retire?’ And I’d say, ‘Well, I want to be a writer; I want to be a storyteller,’ and I got a lot of, ‘That’s cute. That’s cute. You’ll be depressed when your career is over, and you’ll come back to playing,'” he continued. “I got that a lot. And so, to be here right now and to have a sense of validation is…crazy.”
Keane chimed in and joked, “Not only that, after you don’t have to sit in a tub of ice now.”
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On Monday, as Hollywood’s biggest and brightest stars gathered around for the 2020 Oscars Nominees Luncheon, the President of the Academy held a moment of silence in honor of Bryant.
“With all of his mega success on the court, he was possibly the most excited person in the room to be a nominee,” David Rubin said at the event. “I know we all send his family our deepest heartfelt condolences. Let’s all just take a moment of silence…”
Celebrities in attendance included Brad Pitt, Cynthia Erivo, Laura Dern, Charlize Theron, Leonardo DiCaprio and many more.
Along with the NBA star’s upcoming tribute at the Oscars, he will be honored and inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (as part of its 2020 class).
“The Hall of Fame joins the rest of the basketball world in mourning the untimely passing of Kobe Bryant, a nominee for the Class of 2020 and an icon of the game,” a spokesperson for The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame told E! News on Monday.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the Bryant Family and all of those affected by this tragedy,” the statement continued. “We look forward to announcing our Finalists at NBA All-Star Weekend and revealing the full Class of 2020 at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in April.”
Our thoughts go out to all of the families affected by the helicopter tragedy.