Super Bowl 2020: NFL Honors NBA Legend, Kobe Bryant, Daughter Gianna and Those Lost This Week

Everyone watching the 2020 Super Bowl just saw the first of two planned Kobe Bryant tribute, and it was clear that there were no dry eyes in the arena. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wednesday that the tribute would be taking place, saying, “I don’t think just Los Angeles is mourning the loss of Kobe Bryant,” He later added, per the OCR, Kobe was a special person. I did have the opportunity to meet him. He obviously brought a lot to our world and I think all of us not only feel for the tragic events to his family but as well as everyone else who was a passenger on that helicopter. It’s hard to understand and it’s hard to process.”

The second tribute to Bryant will come later, during the Halftime Show with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. “I think we’ll all be remembering Kobe on Sunday,” Shakira said in a statement. “And we’ll be celebrating life and celebrating diversity in this country. I’m sure he’ll be very proud to see the message that we’re going to try to convey on stage.”

Lopez added: “We have to love people when they’re here and not wait. I think about Vanessa (Bryant) as a mom and losing her best friend and partner and losing her child, you know, how awful that must be for her right now, and I just wanted to send the message and praying God guides her through every moment because she has three more babies to take care of.”

On Sunday, Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven other individuals were killed when the private helicopter they were traveling in crashed in the hills outside of Los Angeles.

Bryant was 41 years old at the time of his death. The crash is still under investigation, but has been ruled an accident by the coroner’s office.

At this time, no funeral plans have been revealed, but it had been reported that it could be “weeks” before anything is announced.