'Rest in paradise king': LeBron James's 'Wakanda Forever' tribute to Chadwick Boseman

James took a knee during a moment of silence and crossed his arms to his chest

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Basketball star LeBron James paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman in a pre-game moment-of-silence on Friday before game five of the play-off series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers.

James, 35, took to his knee, closed his eyes and crossed his arms up against his chest to form the "Wakanda forever" salute in honour of the actor, whose death was announced on Saturday. The three-time NBA champion then pointed up to the sky.

James also posted a tribute on Instagram, sharing a picture of the two together and simply writing “Rest in Paradise King”:

The NBA moment of silence also paid tribute to former NBA player Cliff Robinson and former college basketball coach Lute Olson, who also died in the past week.

21 Bridges actor Boseman was a fan of the NBA and even offered a little assistance to Victor Oladipo in the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest:

Boseman was privately fighting colon cancer for four years. His family announced his passing by posting on his social media accounts, along with a black-and-white portrait of the star.

The tweet has already become the most liked of all time with 6.4 million likes. "Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever," Twitter said on its official account.

Boseman became the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the record-breaking Marvel franchise with 2018's Black Panther.

The movie, set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and audiences, becoming the first comic book film to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars and grossing more than $1 billion (Dh3.67bn) worldwide.

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