Kobe Bryant: Chance The Rapper, Jennifer Hudson, Common and others pay tribute at 2020 NBA All-Star Game
The 69th NBA All-Star Game was held on Sunday night, February 16, at the United Center in Chicago, and while it was billed as a showcase for the best players in the sport of basketball, one NBA great was still weighing heavily on everyone's mind.
That player was the legendary LA Laker, Kobe Bryant, who tragically died last month on January 26 in a helicopter crash along with eight other people, including his own daughter, Gianna.
Many people were still in shock from hearing the news, and even though a few weeks had passed since the late great Black Mamba passed away, many fans were seen paying tribute to their dearly departed hero at the game with flowers, placards and numerous other accolades on social media.
At the All-Star game's halftime show in Chicago's United Center, hometown boy Chance The Rapper was joined by fellow megastars Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled and Quavo as they performed a five-song medley of hits with Chance, including 'No Problem', 'Hot Shower', 'I'm the One' and 'Ultralight Beam'.
Kanye West was rumored to perform at the game, but ultimately didn't and sat courtside with his wife Kim Kardashian. The hip-hop artistes' medley ended with a special tribute performance to Kobe Bryant, with the song 'I Was a Rock'. Check out the full performance below:
Before the halftime show, former 'American Idol' star Jennifer Hudson kicked off proceedings with a deeply moving, incredible performance of 'For All We Know', a fitting tribute to a player of Kobe Bryant's stature.
Featuring her trademark powerful vocals and some jaw-droppingly changes in tone and register, Jennifer's pitch-perfect delivery of the song was impeccably on point. Check out that amazing rendition below:
Rapper Common also paid musical tribute to Kobe Bryant and the city of Chicago before the All-Star game commenced.
The 47-year-old Chicago native delivered a lovely spoken-word history lesson/rap homage to the Windy City and the numerous cultural icons who have made Chicago proud over the years.
These included Chaka Khan, Barack Obama and NBA phenoms Dwayne Wade and Michael Jordan, among other great men and women whom he mentioned by name. Check out Common's scintillating performance below: