Kobe Bryant honored in special tribute with an empty basketball court at NAACP Image Awards in LA

The NAACP Image Awards opened the show with an empty basketball court onstage in Los Angeles on Saturday night.  

It came as NBA superstar Kobe Bryant was honored at the show, which recognizes entertainers of color.

Fans are still reeling from the sudden death of NBA superstar in a fatal helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others, just last month.  

‘The room erupted for Kobe #mambaout,’ the NAACP tweeted. 

This was not the only nod to the Oscar winner, as the athlete appeared again in the In Memoriam segment for a more extended acknowledgement of his extraordinary achievements. 

To pay homage to the athlete, a clip of him speaking to his fans following a game engulfed the room.

He could be heard thanking his family for their support in the audio recording, as a photo of Bryant and Gianna sitting court-side at a game appeared.   

Also included in the In Memoriam segment was rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was killed after a shooting in Los Angeles. 

The 33-year-old, who was born Ermias Asghedom, was among three people shot was to meet police today to discuss gang violence before getting shot multiple times. 

A proper tribute to Kobe had been expected from the NAACP, as the organization was one of the first groups to speak after his death on January 26. 

‘Today we mourn the loss of NBA Legend Kobe Bryant. Your presence on and off the court will truly be missed,’ the group said in a statement at the time.

The organization added: ‘Our prayers go out to the Bryant family and to all affected by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.’

The pair were laid to rest in a private family service two weeks after the crash, at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, California with no photographers.

Information about the ceremony was revealed in death certificates issued by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, which listed burial as the type of deposition for both Bryant and Gianna.

The certificates listed the causes of death as blunt trauma and indicated that they died in a ‘rapid’ manner.

Seven others on board the helicopter died in the crash, and on Monday a public memorial service was held for three of them: baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa.

Several thousand people poured into the stadium in Anaheim, California, Monday for a public memorial honoring the award-winning coach of Orange Coast College baseball, who was known for leading his team to four state titles and helping his young players grow and develop on and off the field.

Scores of them were in the stadium, along with members of current local college teams, wearing their jerseys.

A public memorial is also scheduled for Bryant on February 24 at the Staples Center. The date pays tribute to the ’24’ jersey number that Bryant wore since the 2006-07 season.

Bryant’s wife Vanessa said in an Instagram post on Monday that she was both grieving and angry over the loss of her husband and daughter.

Vanessa Bryant, 37, has made few public appearances since the crash and said in the social media post that she had been ‘reluctant’ to put her feelings into words.

‘My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone,’ she said, using a nickname for her daughter. ‘I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me.’