Many have mourned the untimely, accidental death of basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, and there have been a number of moving tributes to the late professional athlete. A prominent example was at this years Grammy Awards, where Alicia Keys joined up with Boyz II Men to sing, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” Another singer to pay tribute to Bryant was Jennifer Hudson, who appeared at the NBA All-Star 2020 game in Chicago on Sunday.

Before Hudson performed, she was introduced by former professional basketball player Magic Johnson. Johnson honored Bryant by motivating the crowd to cheer loud for him, which lead to chants of,”Kobe, Kobe.” “There you go,” said Johnson. He continued, saying, “We all are hurting. This is a tough time for the whole NBA family.” He then got to crowd to stand up, hold each others hands, and hold an 8 second moment of silence. The length of the silence has a symbolic importance, as Bryant’s first jersey number he wore for the L.A. Lakers was 8. “Come together, love each other. Kobe would have wanted that,” said Johnson. After the moment of silence, he introduced Hudson, a native of Chicago, to the court.

Hudson wore a shimmering purple, velvet gown and gold earrings, which was another tribute to Bryant – the colors of the Lakers are purple and gold. Hudson sang a version of the song “For All We Know,” while images of Bryant and his daughter Gianna were projected on a screen behind her. She initially sang the song a capella, but was eventually joined by a piano and a cello. Hudson’s performance was not the only tribute to Bryant that night. Hip-hop artist Common performed a rap tribute to the city of Chicago, where he gave a shout out to Bryant. “He used his game to touch the world’s soul / a king named Kobe Bryant who wore purple and gold,” rapped Common, continuing, “Even in the darkest times, you’ll feel Kobe’s light.”

Watch the emotional performance below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UiHersOp_g

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