Entertainment
Watch Kobe Bryant’s Oscar-winning short film Dear Basketball online
Kobe Bryant, the legendary basketball player who died at 41 in a helicopter crash on Sunday, was the proud recipient of an Academy Award, among his many other trophies and honors. And now, you can watch the film that earned him that Oscar (for Best Animated Short Film) online right here (see above). Bryant’s production…
Kobe Bryant, the legendary basketball player who died at 41 in a helicopter crash on Sunday, was the proud recipient of an Academy Award, among his many other trophies and honors. And now, you can watch the film that earned him that Oscar (for Best Animated Short Film) online right here (see above).
Bryant’s production company Granity Studios released the 2017 film, Dear Basketball, online through Vimeo following the athlete’s death. Based on a poem Bryant wrote in 2015 to announce his retirement, Dear Basketball is Bryant’s heartfelt tribute to the sport he loved, featuring lush hand-drawn animation from veteran Disney animator Glen Keane (who won an Oscar for the film alongside Bryant) and soaring music by John Williams (yes, that John Williams).
“Dear basketball, from the moment I started rolling my dad’s tube socks and shooting imaginary game-winning shots in the Great Western Forum, I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you,” Bryant intones in voiceover at the start of the film. “A love so deep I gave you my all — from my mind and body to my spirit and soul.”
“This is not supposed to happen,” Bryant told Jimmy Kimmel after his Oscar win. “I’m supposed to play basketball, not write something that wins an Oscar.”
Keane paid tribute to Bryant on Twitter on Sunday, writing, “We were so honored to work with Kobe and even from time to time be surrounded by his wonderful family while making ‘Dear Basketball’.”
At the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon on Monday, the event began with a moment of silence for Bryant and the eight other victims of the helicopter crash, which included Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
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Become a founding memberYou can watch Dear Basketball above. Have a box of tissues ready.
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- Celebrities, athletes, and more mourn death of Kobe Bryant: ‘We will never forget you’
- Watch Kobe Bryant talk about his daughter’s love of basketball in 2018 interview
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