He previously won an Oscar in 2018 for his autobiographical short film Dear Basketball and the Academy issued a statement after his death to pay their respects.
They said: “They doubted a kid could make it in the NBA, and he proved them wrong. They doubted he could win a championship, and he proved them wrong.
“They doubted he could make movies, and he won an Oscar. Like all great artists, Kobe Bryant proved the doubters wrong. Rest in peace.”
Since his passing, he has been remembered by the Grammy Awards — which took place the same day as his death inside the Los Angeles’ Staples Center, where the athlete played with the Lakers for the entirety of his professional basketball career — as well as the NFL’s championship game, the Super Bowl.
Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa and their three other daughters, 17-year-old Natalia, 3-year-old Bianka, and 7-month-old Capri.
