NBA star Kobe Bryant won an Oscar in 2018 for a short film.
The NBA star took home an Academy Award for the animated short film Dear Basketball, which he wrote and produced. Dear Basketball, narrated by Bryant and directed by Glen Keane, was inspired by his 2015 poem which he used to announced his retirement from the NBA.
It depicts highlights of his career as well as his passion for the sport. Speaking in the winners room after picking up his award, Bryant said: ‘I feel better than winning the championship, to be honest with you. I swear I do. To be here right now and to have like, a sense of validation is, this is crazy, man. It’s crazy.’
During his acceptance speech, Bryant hit back at news pundit Laura Ingraham who felt basketball players should keep their political opinions to themselves and ‘shut up and dribble’.
Bryant told the Oscars audience: ‘As basketball players we’re supposed to shut up and dribble. I’m glad we do a little bit more than that.’
Bryant, 41, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday morning. Kobe is believed to have been taking his daughter to basketball practice.
Kobe, 41, was married to wife Vanessa since 2001, and they had four daughters – Gianna, aka Gigi, and then Natalia, 17, and Bianka, 3 and Capri, who was born last June.
Photo Credit: Getty
