Kobe Bryant is the only athlete in the history of the Academy to win an Oscar. The Lakers player has a very storied record when it comes to playing basketball, but he was also the recipient of the prestigious entertainment award for his work with animator Glen Keane, to produce a short film based on a letter he wrote, announcing his retirement.
Dear Basketball has not only won an Academy Award but also an Annie Award in 2018, along with a Sports Emmy Award in the same year. The film was widely acclaimed in the animation community for its revolutionary way of animating sweat, which director and animator Glen Keane opened up about.
Dear Basketball adapts the letter Kobe Bryant wrote to announce his retirement
Dear Basketball won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018. It adapted the letters that Bryant published in The Players Tribune, announcing his retirement on November 29, 2015.
The film was animated by ex-Disney animator Glen Keane, who pioneered numerous experimental ways to work with the animated content. Keane had worked on films like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. Max Keane served as the production designer on the film, which was oddly fitting, given that it was Max’s basketball games that Glen drew inspiration from for the sketching phase of Bryant’s film. Max also served as the production designer for Glen’s film, Duet.
Also onboarded for the film was John Williams, the legendary musician, to score the film. Bryant allegedly cold-called along before the film and established a friendship with the score producer.
Kobe Bryant remains the only NBA player to win an Academy Award
Dear Basketball deals with some inspirational subject matter, written as a poem/letter to Basketball itself, from Kobe Bryant. The NBA player secured numerous titles throughout his career. Before the actor’s tragic death in a helicopter crash, Bryant was the first NBA star and the first athlete to ever win an Academy Award.
Bryant was the narrator of this film, which was his way of saying goodbye to the sport. However, the athlete, six years after his historic win, remains the only player ever to win an Academy Award. In fact, he was the first, and so far the last to be nominated for one. Bryant’s legacy not only left a mark in the world of sports but also touched and conquered the entertainment domain, thanks to his venture into animation.
On the fourth death anniversary of the athlete, it is important to remember the impact that he had on not just one, but two fields. Aside from making a splendid career in professional Basketball, his venture into entertainment, earning him an Academy Award in the first go, shows the capacity that the individual had, not only carving the way ahead fro future players, but also those who aspire to conquer diverse fields in an increasingly specialization friendly world.
