Director Spike Lee stepped into the Oscars red carpet on Sunday night while donning a custom purple and gold suit as a tribute to the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

The suit’s colors were a nod to the Lakers, where the Black Mamba spent his entire 20-year basketball career. The front and back were also embroidered with the number 24, one of Bryant’s retired jerseys.

A well-known diehard New York Knicks fan, Spike Lee can frequently be seen courtside in Madison Square Garden. However, he is also good friend of Kobe Bryant.

In fact, Lee had also previously directed a 2009 documentary “Kobe: Doin’ Work.” The film focused on the Lakers legend’s well-known work ethic.

During the live event, the Academy also paid tribute to the late shooting guard, who won an Oscars two years ago for an animated short entitled, “Dear Basketball,” shortly after his retirement from the NBA. The film was written and narrated by the 18-time All-Star and is based on the retirement letter he wrote to The Players’ Tribune back in 2015.

The big screen flashed a photo of the five-time champion with a quote from a 2008 interview. Bryant was additionally labeled an athlete and a producer.

Bryant passed away on Jan. 26 after his helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California. All of the seven other passengers and the pilot did not survive, including Kobe's 13-year-old daughter Gianna.