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BET Awards 2020: Lil Wayne’s tribute to Kobe Bryant brought the ceremony to a standstill
Lil Wayne honoured the GOAT, late Kobe Bryant at the 2020 BET Awards five months after the NBA legend’s death in a helicopter crash. Read ahead for the full story.
The 2020 BET Awards came to a standstill as rapper Lil Wayne paid tribute to Kobe Bryant, the late NBA star. Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 along with his daughter Gianna and seven others. Videos from Bryant's legendary career with the Los Angeles Lakers played as Wayne rapped, "This is Black power status / Two fingers for the Mambacita / I'm screaming' Black Mamba matters." "Heart goes out to Vanessa and the whole Black Mamba family," he continued.
"Rest in power / Let's hope for peace / Black lives matter, facts.” This isn't the first time the rapper has remembered Bryant. In January, when Lil Wayne released his album Funeral, his track, "Bing James," included 24 seconds of silence. The quiet seconds were a nod to Bryant's Lakers number 24.
In a March interview on MTV’s Fresh Out Live, Lil Wayne praised Bryant as someone who "strived to be the best in everything." "What I admire the most is how [his legacy] evolved. We knew him as the kid phenom straight from high school... He hit the league and murked it.. [then] he became a champion," he said. "It’s very hard to become a champion... He did it again and then again."
Last week marked the first Father's Day the Bryant family has celebrated without Kobe, though Vanessa Bryant posted a heartwarming message in his honour. "Happy Father's Day to the BEST daddy in the world," Vanessa captioned her post on Instagram. "We miss you so much. We love you forever and always." "Love, Nani, Gigi, BB, Koko and VB," the 38-year-old mom added.
