Kobe Bryant is one of the most accomplished players in basketball history, and now he has another piece of hardware to add to his trophy room: an Oscar.
The former Los Angeles Laker won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film on Sunday for Dear Basketball, an animated short film made of the letter he published in Players Tribune to announce his retirement from the NBA. The film – and letter – are an ode that Kobe Bryant wrote in honor of the sport.
Bryant and filmmaker Glen Keane both took the stage to accept the award, with Bryant thanking his family, the crew of the film, and Verizon for funding the project. He also gave a sly reference to FOX News host Laura Ingraham’s insult toward LeBron James: “as basketball players, we’re supposed to just shut up and dribble, but I’m glad we could do more than that.”