Spike Lee, the world’s most famous Knicks fan, who wouldn’t be seen in anything other than his orange and blue, made a serious fashion statement at the Oscars in honor of the late great Kobe Bryant.
Lee is one of the NBA’s historically iconic fans and an Oscar winner with a legendary resume, who directed the 2009 documentary “Kobe Doin’ Work.”
The Brooklyn-born movie mogul paid his respects to Bryant at the 92nd annual Academy Awards Sunday in a purple and gold suit, a nod to Bryant’s legendary and impactful career as a Los Angeles Laker and then in retirement.
Last year, legendary director and Morehouse graduate Spike Lee finally got his long-awaited Oscar for best-adapted screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman.”
Spike Lee waited three decades for his first #Oscar and we couldn't be more happy for him! Congrats, Spike. https://t.co/ncOh4o3m3B #Oscars pic.twitter.com/hUyP9tt1Hs
— ESSENCE (@Essence) February 25, 2019
Lee, who thanked his ancestors, family, and HBCU’s in his acceptance speech, triggered a Twitter rant from Donald Trump.
Trump accused Lee of being racist in his speech. Lee called for people to “pick love over hate” when the 2020 presidential elections roll around.
Lee chose last night’s platform to rep Kobe and continue to show the proper honor to his family in this disastrous time. Spike’s Gucci suit featured Bryant’s number “24” stitched on his lapels and on the back.
He completed his look with a pair of orange and black Kobe sneakers from Nike and his signature hat and glasses, both purple.
It’s reported that Ryan Seacrest could barely maintain his grief when asked about his Kobe-inspired outfit.
Despite the firestorm that Gayle King’s disrespectful line of questioning during an interview with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie caused this past week, Kobe’s legacy is still intact and people are still healing.
When a clip of King asking Leslie about Kobe’s 2003 rape case (that was dismissed) aired, it created a rift among the Black elite that fed the social media moshpit for days.
Snoop Dogg threatened King and former Barrack Obama national security advisor Susan Rice went Onyx on Snoop telling him to basically Bac Da Fucc Up. 50Cent weighed in as well.
It’s still a topic that the Black community is very divided on as far as the appropriateness of King’s line of questioning.
Protecting Kobe’s legacy as a successful Black man vs. revisiting a situation that was litigated and finished almost two decades ago. And we know that Kobe’s not here to defend himself.
Rarely is there an issue that captivates the masses within the Black community across all social, political, economic and sub-cultural lines, like the firestorm created by Gayle King’s interview with Lisa Leslie.
