Kobe Bryant Won an Oscar Sunday night for his part in the animated short “Dear Basketball,” in one of the first examples of an American professional basketball player winning an Oscar.
“I’ve always been told that as basketball players the expectation is that you play. This is all you know. This is all you do. Don’t think about handling finances. Don’t think about going into business. Don’t think that you want to be a writer — that’s cute.” Bryant told Lakers Nation. “I got that a lot. What do you want to do when you retire?” Bryant said. “Well, I want to be a storyteller.’ That’s cute. This is … a form of validation for people to look and say, ‘OK, he really can do something other than dribble and shoot.'”
The short film is based off of a poem Bryant wrote to announce his retirement. Bryant has made the rounds in receiving prestigious awards from various organizations. The basketball star holds two Olympic gold medals, which can now stand beside his Oscar.
Bryant beat out “Garden Party,” by Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon, directors (MOPA); “Lou,” by Dave Mullins, director, and Dana Murray, producer (Pixar Animation Studios); “Negative Space,” Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, directors (Ikki Films); and “Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer, directors (Magic Light Pictures)
Send Tips: anders@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.