Snoop Dogg has paid an emotional tribute to late basketball star Kobe Bryant – hear it below.

The tribute came as part of the 2020 ESPY Awards, held virtually due to coronavirus concerns on Monday (June 22).

The two-and-a-half-minute video saw Snoop rapping over a series of images and videos showcasing the highlights of Bryant’s career.

“You beat the odds by a mile, all grit, no smile/A new golden child, yeah, let’s do it Mamba Style,” he raps, before declaring that Los Angeles belongs to Bryant. Watch the tribute below.

Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in late January of this year. Bryant was traveling in his private helicopter when it went down and a fire broke out, with all five people onboard confirmed dead, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant.

Names from across the entertainment world including Drake, Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Travis Barker, Flea and Cardi B paid tribute to Bryant upon news of his death.

Snoop Dogg penned his own emotional tribute to Bryant the following month while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Snoop, a famed fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant’s basketball team, said: “The younger generation of basketball players all look up to him. The younger generation rappers all look up to him.

“Even a rapper like myself – who was older than him – I looked up to him because he showed me ways on how to be a better person, a better father, a better man, you know, going from that to this. He was just a great leader and a great role model, and we going to miss him dearly.”

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