Sunday afternoon, the biggest stars in Hollywood arrived for the 2020 Oscars. The attention was on the potential winners of Best Picture and other prestigious awards, but director Spike Lee quickly changed the conversation. He showed up for the show wearing a custom purple and yellow Kobe Bryant tuxedo.
Lee’s suit was primarily purple but featured yellow piping to truly show off those Los Angeles Lakers colors. No. 24 was also added to the upper back of the jacket while there was a 2 and a 4 on each lapel. Lee capped off the outfit with a purple hat and purple-framed glasses.
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It has been two weeks since Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Fans of the 20-year veteran have been searching for ways to honor his memory, whether it was rocking his gear on the golf course or petitioning for the NBA to change the logo to Bryant’s silhouette.
Lee, on the other hand, went for a quieter approach. He simply showed up to the most prestigious award ceremony of the year and drew attention with his clothing selection. For this, the fans were fired up.
“Spike Lee honoring Kobe Bryant at the #Oscars is giving me all the feels #Mamba4Life,” one fan wrote on Sunday afternoon. Several others chimed in to explain their adoration for this tribute.
When the director of BlacKkKlansman and the Miracle at St. Anna was asked about Bryant’s death, he didn’t explain the level of pain that he felt. Instead, he simply gave the interviewer a look that delivered a powerful message.
Lee did later respond to repeated questions about Bryant, albeit reluctantly. He was asked why he opted to wear this custom suit to the Oscars and “put it out there,” and he simply responded by saying: “tribute, honor, homage. We all miss him.”
Lee has long been known as a New York Knicks fan, and he was asked about this after his arrival on the red carpet. The popular director used this opportunity to say that the “Knicks used to be good.” He also mentioned that he wants the New York Yankees to win championship number 28 this year.
While he will be a presenter during the Oscars, Lee is drawing less attention for any award that he may hand out over the course of the evening. Instead, everyone is excited about his custom Bryant suit and the tribute that he paid on Sunday evening.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
