Lil Wayne pays tribute to Kobe Bryant at 2020 BET Awards
The rapper performed his 2009 hit named after the late Lakers star during Sunday's performance
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.
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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.
Wayne tribute to Kobe was 🔥! 2 🐐’s BET Awards been all that today!
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) June 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/youngmoneymerch/status/1277418307180793863?s=20
Weezy performs "Kobe Bryant" and pays tribute to the Black Mamba 🐍
(via @BET)https://t.co/lGQ1ra9MAU
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 29, 2020
RIP @kobebryant. Thank you @BET for his tribute. #BETAwards2020 #MambaMentality #BallIsLife
— Belinda Drake (She/Her) (@TheBelindaDrake) June 29, 2020
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.
me when pop smoke, john witterspoon, and kobe bryant popped up on my screen #BETAwards pic.twitter.com/wVybvqxIQy
— texas bama. (@AMIRTHEGEMINI) June 29, 2020
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6buxwQax07vR9Y740tPa7x
