Kobe and Gianna Bryant were honored with a moving tribute at the NAACP Image Awards
Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET)
Former NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash on January 26.
At the 51st NAACP Image Awards on Saturday in Pasadena, California, the Bryants were honored with a powerful memorial.
The video reel played an audio clip from Bryant's NBA farewell speech, where he thanked his family for their support and ended with the famous saying: "Mamba out."
A public memorial commemorating Bryant and the victims of the helicopter crash is set to be held Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
On January 26, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash along with seven others in Calabasas, California.
At the 51st NAACP Image Awards on Saturday in Pasadena, California, nearly one month following the tragedy, Kobe and Gianna Bryant were honored with an emotional tribute, which is one of many memorials to have been held for the NBA legend at awards shows and sporting events.
A recording of the memorial segment shows an empty stage and basketball hoop, followed by a screen illuminated with the late LA Lakers star's jerseys — numbers 8 and 24.
Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET
Then a video showing photos of Bryant and his family began to play along with an audio clip from Bryant's NBA farewell speech in which Bryant thanked his family for their support throughout his basketball career.
"To my family — my wife, Vanessa, my daughters Natalia and Gianna, thank you guys for all your sacrifice. From the bottom of my heart, thank you," he said in the audio recording. "What can I say? Mamba out."
Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET)
On Monday, the Staples Center in Los Angeles will hold an official memorial for Bryant and the victims of the helicopter crash, CNN reports.
Click here to watch the Kobe Bryant memorial segment from the 2020 NAACP Image Awards.
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