NFL Will Honor 'Cultural Icon' Kobe Bryant During Super Bowl LIV

The death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who passed away last Sunday in a helicopter accident that also took the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, continues to resonate in ways that go beyond basketball - with the Super Bowl set to possibly be the biggest stage yet to observe the tragedy.

The NFL is working on how it will honor the memory of the dead during Sunday's Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

“He was a special person,'' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday.

Remembering the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant at The Star. pic.twitter.com/evNVj0nuKJ
— The Star In Frisco (@thestarinfrisco) January 27, 2020

Bryant has already been publicly mourned is almost endless ways. In observations with DFW ties alone, the Dallas Cowboys, iconic tight end Jason Witten ...

Icons Kobe Bryant of the #Lakers and Jason Witten of the #Cowboys, Watching Film Together: 'You Can't Cheat The Muse' https://t.co/X8QJFKqFpp via @SInow pic.twitter.com/N0Eu311I9G
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 28, 2020

... and the Dallas Mavericks - who are "retiring'' Kobe's jersey No. 24 - have attempted to make meaningful gestures.

#KobeBryant Debate: Are Mark Cuban and the #Mavs Right To Retire No. 24? https://t.co/oGGcAdjrhV by @richiewhitt & @fishsports for @SInow pic.twitter.com/7VUJwUIsSD
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 29, 2020

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, in mourning the man, called Bryant "a cultural icon.''

It's not yet known exactly what form the NFL's observation will take. Across the sports and entertainment worlds, there have been moments of silence, video montages and various players and even organizations offering gestures involving Bryant's jersey numbers (8 and 24).

It's likely that the two teams in Super Bowl LIV, the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, will have individuals who create their own tributes.

"I'm proud the way our league responded and the way the fans responded,'' Goodell said. "As a league, we have been very responsive."