At Sunday night’s 90th annual Academy Awards, Kobe Bryant won another trophy, this one for the Oscar in the animated short category.
Bryant, the retired Los Angeles Lakers star, brought home the golden statue for his contributions to the animated short “Dear Basketball,” based on a poem he wrote in 2015 announcing his impending retirement from basketball. As executive producer, Bryant accepted his Oscar from “Star Wars” star Mark Hamill. He shared the award with Disney animator Glen Keane.The Bryan Fogel-directed Netflix film “Icarus,” which helped expose widespread doping among Russian athletes, won the Academy Award for best documentary on Sunday night.
“And to Kobe, for writing ‘Dear Basketball,’ it’s a message for all of us,” Keane said during his acceptance speech. “Whatever form your dream may take, it’s through passion and perseverance that the impossible is possible.”
Bryant, who seemed in disbelief and had to take a deep breath as he repeatedly looked at his Oscar, then delivered a message.
“I don’t know if it’s possible,” Bryant retorted. “I mean, as basketball players, we are really supposed to shut up and dribble. But I am glad we do a little bit more than that.”
He thanked his wife, Vanessa, and his three daughters, naming each of them. He spoke a few words of Italian — a language he learned as a child growing up in Italy — and closed by telling them, “You are my inspiration.”
Among those offering their congratulations via Twitter were Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Bill Russell and Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant’s former Lakers teammate, who admitted, “I’m jealous lol.”
For for more details: espn.com
