'It's for Kobe and it's my way of paying tribute': Spike Lee wears purple No. 24 tuxedo to Academy Awards to honor late LA Lakers star
- Lee, 62, walked the red carpet with his wife Tonya Lewis Lee
- Oscar-winner donned a custom-made suit in purple and yellow
- The New York Knicks fan had Bryant's LA Lakers number 24 featured on both the jacket lapel and back of the jacket
- Lee and Kobe had worked together on the 2009 doc Kobe Doin' Work
Spike Lee paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant by wearing a purple suit at the Oscars Sunday.
'It’s for Kobe and it’s my way of paying tribute,' the Oscar-winning filmmaker, 62, told Dailymail.com on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Lee, a diehard NBA and New York Knicks fan, donned a custom-made purple suit with yellow trimming - the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers - as he made his way down the red carpet with his wife Tonya Lewis Lee. Tonya dazzled in a long-sleeved floor-length white gown with silver earrings.
Doing the right thing: Spike Lee, 62, paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant by wearing a purple at the Oscars Sunday as he made his way down the red carpet with his wife Tonya Lewis Lee, 53. The ensemble came two weeks to the day the basketball icon died at 41 in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven others
The BlacKkKlansman director had Bryant's number 24 number featured on both the jacket lapel and back of the jacket.
He rounded things out with purple rimmed glasses, a purple cap and a pair of Kobe signature Nike shoes. Lee's fashion tribute came two weeks to the day the basketball icon died at 41 in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven others.
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Lee and Kobe had worked together on Kobe Doin' Work, a 2009 doc that centered around the NBA superstar's preparation for a game against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007-2008 season.
'Game respects game,' he told Extra this week of their mutual respect for one another. 'Whatever field it is, when you see someone that is on that level, you respect it.'
Past association: Lee and Kobe had worked together on Kobe Doin' Work, a 2009 doc that centered around the NBA superstar's preparation for a game against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007-2008 season
Representing: The BlacKkKlansman director had Bryant's number 24 number featured on both the jacket lapel and back of the jacket
He told the outlet of the impact Bryant's death has had on him: 'I'm still shook, I'm still shook. It's like some Greek tragedy, some kind of crazy thing, and with his daughter … especially here, LA is the epicenter.'
The New York City-based filmmaker of movies such as She's Gotta Have It, Jungle Fever and Do the Right Thing opened up about the impact the basketball standout's tragic passing had on Los Angeles as he visited to attend the Oscars.
'I just got here this morning and I see on the bus, everywhere, you can't miss it,' Lee said. 'LA, the world, but especially LA, he grew up here, came in when he was 17 years old, and again, all of us human beings, and I include myself, we take for granted this great gift we have of being alive.'
Impacted: Lee said of the impact Bryant's death has had on him, 'I'm still shook, I'm still shook. It's like some Greek tragedy, some kind of crazy thing, and with his daughter'
Stunning: Lee held hands with wife Tonya Lewis Lee. who looked radiant in a white gown
Must be the shoes: The Jungle Fever filmmaker wore a pair of Kobe Bryant sneakers on the red carpet of the event
Lee said that the tragic crash made him introspective about the fleeting nature of life.
'Tomorrow's not guaranteed and I know I was not the only one, I know I was not the only husband in the world that hugged his wife and kids. I did, and that's the first thing you think about,' he said.
Lee, a stalwart presence courtside at Madison Square Garden for New York Knicks home games, said that Bryant had a trademark way of greeting him when they would cross paths.
'Funny story - every time Kobe would see me, it wouldn't be like, "What's up, what's up brother, what's happening?"' Lee said. 'It was, "Knicks suck!" No matter what, that was the greeting. No matter where it is, where or when, he sees me … "Spike, Knicks suck!" and then we would hug.'
Banner night: The couple posed for a shot on social media at the ceremony
East vs West: Lee said that Kobe would jokingly disparage his beloved Knicks every time they crossed paths. The two shared a moment at a 2015 Lakers-Knicks contest in NYC
