In honor of Kobe Bryant, the NBA has recruited the services of Los Angeles’ very own Dr. Dre (with assistance from Gibson Hazard and Jack Bannon) to score a thrilling instrumental spliced onto dozens of highlights from his storied career.
Hip Hop fans will notice the tail end of the track flips to Joe Cocker’s “Woman to Woman,” which Dre made famous more than 20 years ago alongside Tupac via the classic record, “California Love.”
The range of emotions stemming from the death of Kobe Bryant and the other eight passengers in the Jan. 26 Calabasas helicopter crash have been at unprecedented high this 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend. In fact, the entire 2020 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 has been reworked to honor the late basketball legend. The NBA All-Star MVP Award has also been renamed to the Kobe Bryant MVP Award. During a media day, league commissioner Adam Silver stated, “No one embodied All-Star more than Kobe Bryant” as Bryant was a 18-time All-Star and a 4-time MVP winner.
A memorial event “Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant” at the Staples Center is planned for Feb. 24 with ticket prices ranging from $24.02 to $224. Proceeds will benefit the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
Listen to Dr. Dre’s tribute instrumental above.