The news of Kobe Bryant’s death first surfaced via TMZ, who had reported that the former NBA All-Star legend – scratch that, “icon” is the more fitting word for his kind of worldwide fame and success – had passed. He was a passenger in the tragic and untimely helicopter crash, which occurred in Calabasas, California.
Disney CEO, Bob Iger, is now speaking out about the tragic loss, tweeting out that “Today we @WaltDisneyCo mourn the tragic loss of @kobebryant. A giant in sports and a person so full of life. Terrible news and so hard to process….”
Today we @WaltDisneyCo mourn the tragic loss of @kobebryant…a giant in sports and a person so full of life. Terrible news and so hard to process….
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) January 26, 2020
The Force is Strong With Kobe Bryant
Did you know in the third season of The Clone Wars, they had developed and introduced a distinct T-series tactical droid? This droid was named K2-B4 and featured a purple and gold color scheme. The development of the droid was no coincidence, as the creators purposely modeled the character after Lakers great, Kobe Bryant.
The design matched the Lakers’ colors and the name of the droid was directly inspired by Bryant’s initials and his jersey number 24. K2-B4 appeared in three episodes in 2011, but Bryant’s connection to The Clone Wars wouldn’t be the last time his legacy would be intertwined with the beloved franchise.
After his retirement from basketball, he was still pulling a ‘Kobe,’ but now in a different avenue: Hollywood. When his animated short called Dear Basketball won the Academy Award in 2018, the presenter for the award was none other than Mark Hamill, the actor who portrays Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. John Williams also happened to be the composer for Bryant’s award-winning short.
Bryant is leaving behind a huge legacy and with his tribute in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and his obvious love for the franchise, he will always be cemented in the galaxy far, far away.
