Spike Lee Kobe Bryant Tribute At The Oscars

A fitting tribute in every sense.

Spike Lee Kobe Bryant Tribute At The Oscars

The Oscars signals the last major ceremony to take place during the annual awards season, but while they take a look back at the moments to celebrate from the previous 12 months, they also take a chance to commemorate the lives lost during the In Memoriam segment.

This year, American basketball legend – and Oscar winner – Kobe Bryant will be honoured, following his death in a helicopter crash on the 26th of January, 2020, but American film director, producer, and actor Spike Lee decided to offer up a tribute of his own through his choice of suit.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee)


Lee’s red carpet tribute comprised a custom Gucci suit in purple and yellow – the colours of the Los Angeles Lakers, the basketball team Bryant played for, for his entire 20-season career – along with his jersey number ’24’ stitched on the back. He finished his outfit off with a pair of Nike Kobe 9 Elite Strategy basketball shoes, a purple ‘newsboy’ hat from Baron Hats and a pair of purple thick-framed glasses.

Oh, and he rocked a A$60,000 rose gold Rolex GMT Master II, to further cement himself as the best-dressed man at the ceremony.

The She’s Gotta Have It director was a longtime friend of Kobe, having worked with him on a 2009 documentary Kobe: Doin Work, which followed Bryant for one day during the 2007-08 Lakers season in order to give an in-depth look into his work ethic and in-game mentality. Following the immediate aftermath of his death, Lee posted several images to his Instagram feed, comprising newspaper front pages and personal moments he shared with the NBA star.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee)

It’s not the first time the director has paid tribute to a lost friend, as at the 2019 Awards he wore another purple suit, although that time to honour musician, Prince.

A sartorial slam dunk indeed.