Fans continue to mourn in the wake of the news that NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other victims. With so many recounting memories of Bryant, we're reminded how much of a Star Wars fan he was. And one Reddit user recalled there was a Bryant Easter egg in the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that many missed.
Bryant never hid his Star Wars fandom. In fact, after he injured his Achilles tendon in 2013, he returned to action the following season in front the Los Angeles Lakers home crowd to a track all too familiar to those who enjoy stories set in a galaxy far, far away. He made his entrance to the "Imperial March" by Star Wars composer John Williams, the iconic soundscape of Darth Vader. Bryant wanted to use the track to intimidate his opponents. He also had an affinity for Williams' work as, in the past, he sought out the composer's advice on leadership.
Just a couple of years earlier, The Clone Wars (which began in 2008) immortalized Bryant with the K2-B4 droid, a T-series tactical droid whose color scheme is -- you guessed it -- purple and gold to reflect his career with the Lakers. As you can tell, the name of the droid was inspired by Bryant's initials and his jersey number. While he also wore the number '8,' it's the number '24' the Black Mamba was most noted for. Both numbers have been retired by the Lakers.
K2-B4 appeared in three episodes in 2011, which is the year after Bryant led the Lakers to back-to-back championships, their last title wins. During the Clone Wars, K2-B4 served the Confederacy of Independent Systems and was assistant to Commander Osi Sobeck, warden of the Citadel on the planet Lola Sayu and someone who loved imprisoning Jedi.
Voiced by Ashley Eckstein, the most notable arc K2-B4 had was rounding up some of R2-D2's droids for interrogation, while also getting into trouble with his boss for patching him into a surprise transmission from Count Dooku. Sobeck didn't want to speak to the Sith Lord as he wasn't up to speed with certain deliverables. He made it clear his bot should never blindside him like that again.
Ultimately, K2-B4 wasn't as reliable in the field as Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, was on the court, and that's one of the reasons tributes will continue to pour in for Bryant.
Premiering Friday, Feb. 21, on Disney+, the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars stars Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex and the clone troopers, James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan and Sam Witwer as Maul.