Kobe Bryant Tribute Planned For J-Lo & Shakira’s Super Bowl Halftime Performances

It’s been a week since Kobe Bryant was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas along with his daughter Gianna and her basketball teammates and their parents. The NBA star was an icon in the sports world and beyond, and his legacy will be honoured during the Super Bowl halftime show, according to performers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. During a press conference for the Super Bowl on Thursday, the co-headliners for the massive event revealed that there were plans in store to pay tribute to the Lakers legend at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

“We’ll all be remembering Kobe on Sunday and celebrating life and diversity in this country,” Shakira said. “I’m sure he’d be very proud to see the message we are trying to convey on stage that day.” J-Lo added that the tribute will be “heartfelt,” and recalled the moment her husband, Alex Rodriguez, broke the news to her “with tears in his eyes” about Kobe’s passing while she was rehearsing. “It’s just reminding us how…fragile life is and how we have to appreciate every single moment and how we have to love people when they’re here and not wait. And how we don’t get the opportunity, it can be taken away from us so easily.”

She also noted how devastating the loss has been for Vanessa Bryant. “I think about Vanessa as a mom and losing her best friend and partner, and losing her child,” she said. “I think how awful that must be for her right now…I’ve just been praying that God guides her through every moment because she has three more babies to take care of.” Jennifer sent her love to Vanessa and her family in a tribute post to Kobe on Instagram last week.