Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant added another award to his résumé on Sunday night, despite having been retired from the NBA since April 2016. Bryant has kept busy since his retirement, working on shoes with Nike and venturing into the film industry. First, he created the Musecage video series. Then, he created a short film called Dear Basketball, which was nominated for an animated short Oscar. Now, Bryant is officially an Oscar-winner. From the Associated Press:
Backstage, Bryant looked lovingly at the statue cradled in his hands and mouthed, “My God.”
“I feel better than winning championships,” he said, a smile never leaving his face. “This is crazy, man, it’s crazy.”
As executive producer of the six-minute film, Bryant accepted his golden Oscar statue from “Star Wars” star Mark Hamill on Sunday night. He shared the award with Disney animator Glen Keane.
While accepting the award on stage, Bryant said:
“I mean, as basketball players we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble but I’m glad we do a little bit more than that,” Bryant said on stage.
This is a reference to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham saying that LeBron James should stop talking about social issues, and “shut up and dribble.”
Bryant’s peers congratulated him on Twitter:
Salute @kobebryant on that Oscar!! #WeAreMoreThanShutUpDribble #UJustContinueToSitBackAndWatch
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 5, 2018
Congratulations to my good friend @kobebryant for winning the Oscar for best animated short film. Well deserved!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 5, 2018
Congrats Bean!… you’re more than just an Athlete. @kobebryant pic.twitter.com/HXMlTFABur
— James Harden (@JHarden13) March 5, 2018
Bryant isn’t done after this latest achievement; his new show Detail is set to debut on ESPN this month.
