Kobe Bryant to receive posthumous Emmy Governors Award
The Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards are set to stream on July 18 at 7 pm PT.
The late Kobe Bryant will be honored with a posthumous Emmy at this year’s Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. The former NBA great will receive the Emmy Governors Award in honor of his “philanthropy, community building and inspiration that extended beyond the basketball court.”
According to the Television Academy, the award “is presented to an individual, company or organization that has made an outstanding, innovative and visionary achievement in the arts, sciences or management of television as well as a substantial contribution to the greater Los Angeles area.”
Spectrum SportsNet nominated him for the award. He spent over 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five NBA Championships with the team. He was an 18-time All-Star and appeared in two Olympic games.
After retiring from the Lakers, Bryant became an ambassador for women’s basketball, raised awareness for homelessness in Los Angeles and became a mentor to youth in the area.
In 2018, he won an Oscar for his animated short film Dear Basketball. He’s also released several books throughout his career including “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” “Legacy and the Queen” and “The Wizenard Series.” His newest book “Geese Are Never Swans” will be released posthumously on July 21, according to his wife Vanessa Bryant.
“‘Whether goose or swan, I have wings and I’ll fly,’” she wrote in an Instagram post. “Introducing ‘Geese Are Never Swans,’ one of my favorite novels created by my husband @kobebryant. Readers will meet his newest character Gus Bennett, an aspiring Olympic swimmer facing tough issues that he must overcome in order to win in the pool. This story perfectly highlights the healing nature that lies within sports.”
In January, Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed after their helicopter crashed into the hills while they were on their way to a basketball game. The cause of the crash is still unknown, but it was reportedly foggy on the day of the accident.
The Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards are set to stream on July 18 at 7 pm PT on Emmys.com.