Kobe Bryant Nominated For An Academy Award

LOS ANGELES, CA — As if Kobe Bryant hasn't received enough accolades, the retired Laker is now up for an Oscar.

Bryant was nominated Tuesday for the animated short film based on his "Dear Basketball" retirement letter, which was originally published in The Players' Tribune. The animated short, directed by Glen Keane, features illustrations showing Bryant throughout his career, and it includes music by Oscar-winning composer John Williams.

"What?? This is beyond the realm of imagination," Bryant wrote on his Twitter page in response to the nomination. "It means so much that the (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) deemed #DearBasketball worth of contention. Thanks to the genius of (Keane) & John Williams for taking my poem to this level. It's an honor to be on this team."

Bryant played his entire 20-season career with the Lakers, helping them win five NBA championships, and was chosen as the NBA Finals MVP for both of the two most recent championships.

The 6-foot-6-inch Bryant scored 33,643 points, the third most in league history, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928).

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Bryant was the league's MVP in the 2007-2008 season, received All-NBA honors 15 times, including 11 first-team selections, and was chosen to play in the league's All-Star Game 18 times. He retired after the 2015-16 season.
Bryant wrote:

“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.

A love so deep I gave you my all --

From my mind & body

To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy

Deeply in love with you

I never saw the end of the tunnel

I only saw myself

Running out of one.

And so I ran.

I ran up and down every court

After every loose ball for you.

You asked for my hustle

I gave you my heart

Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt

Not because challenge called me

But because YOU called me.

I did everything for YOU

Because that’s what you do

When someone makes you feel as

Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream

And I’ll always love you for it.

But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.

This season is all I have left to give.

My heart can take the pounding

My mind can handle the grind

But my body knows its time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.

I’m ready to let you go now

So we can both savor every moment we have left together.

The good and the bad.

We have given each other

All that we have.

And we both know, no matter what I do next

I’ll always be that kid

With the rolled-up socks

Garbage can in the corner

:05 seconds on the game clock

Ball in my hands

5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1

Love you always,

Kobe”

City News Service; Photo: LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 18: Kobe Bryant addresses the crowd at halftime as both his #8 and #24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys are retired at Staples Center on December 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maxx Wolfson/Getty Images)