Kobe Bryant will be respected at the Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Bryant, who passed on tragically on Sunday, won an Oscar in 2018 for his animated short film “Dear Basketball,” in light of an essay the competitor composed as he moved toward his retirement from the NBA in 2016.
At that point, Bryant tweeted his excitement and doubt over his nomination, expressing: “This is beyond the realm of imagination. Thanks to the genius of @GlenKeanePrd & John Williams for taking my poem to this level. It’s an honor to be on this team.”
While it’s right now vague whether Bryant will be respected during the annual “in memoriam” segment of the show or in a separate tribute, Deadline obtained a statement from the Academy confirming that he will be “acknowledged in the telecast.”
Sunday’s Grammy Awards, held at the Staples Center where Bryant played with the Los Angeles Lakers, additionally paid tribute to the notable ballplayer.
“Here we are together on music’s biggest night celebrating the artists that do it best, but to be honest with you, we are all feeling crazy sadness right now,” host Alicia Keys said early in the program. “Los Angeles, America and the [world] lost a hero.”
Keys, 39, at that point was joined by R&B group Boyz II Men on stage, and they played out a version of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
Bryant was among nine individuals who were killed in a helicopter crash, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. He was 41 years of age and is made due by his wife Vanessa and three daughters: Natalia, 17; Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.