Lil Wayne pays tribute to Kobe Bryant at 2020 BET Awards

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

One of the most shocking moments in 2020 was the sudden and unfortunate passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna Bryant, and seven others in a helicopter crash in January. The 2020 BET Awards paid homage to the star on Sunday with an all- star tribute, featuring Grammy award-winning rapper Lil Wayne. 

RELATED: Kobe Bryant’s final Lakers season documented with all-access film crew

The New Orleans native rapped his original song, “Kobe Bryant,” that he released in 2009, with highlights from Kobe’s NBA career playing in the background during his performance. Wayne made sure to update the song by giving a shoutout to Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, and sending his love to her and the family

““Heart goes out to Vanessa and the whole Black Mamba family,” the rapper said during his set. 

The tribute received a lot of buzz on Twitter from fans who were heartbroken, but touched, by the memorial. Check out some of the reactions to the tribute below.

https://twitter.com/BET/status/1277420480476127233?s=20

https://twitter.com/TheSportsNotes/status/1277420008373489664?s=20

NBA star and Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum took time out to share his thoughts on the epic performance and memorial on Sunday.

https://twitter.com/youngmoneymerch/status/1277418307180793863?s=20

The performance came after the show took time to highlight all of legendary people that died in 2020 during the “In Memoriam” segment, which of course got us in all the feels.

RELATED: Kobe Bryant’s sports academy retires ‘Mamba’ nickname

Wayne Brady also hit the stage in sparkly suit, paying homage to the the late Little Richard. The actor is set to play the role of Little Richard in BET’s original show American Soul.

This hasn’t been an easy year, but we are thankful for the moment to honor these voices that have played important roles in our culture. 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6buxwQax07vR9Y740tPa7x