When Kobe Bryant announced his retirement from basketball, he did so in The Players' Tribune with a poem titled, "Dear Basketball."
Working with go90 and animator Glen Keane, the former Lakers star turned his poem into a short animated film under the same name. "Dear Basketball" was announced as an Oscar nominee under the Animated Short Film category. The film went on to win.
The #Oscar for Best Animated Short Film goes to “Dear Basketball.” https://t.co/lJd891ISOk #Oscars pic.twitter.com/spkjUkFupu
— ABC News (@ABC) March 5, 2018
MORE: Looking back at Kobe Bryant's career milestones
The film is just under four minutes long, including an additional minute of credits. You can watch the short film in its entirety below:
The "Black Mamba" reacted to his Oscar nomination with gratitude.
What?? This is beyond the realm of imagination. It means so much that the @TheAcademy deemed #DearBasketball worthy of contention. Thanks to the genius of @GlenKeanePrd & John Williams for taking my poem to this level. It's an honor to be on this team. #OscarNoms pic.twitter.com/M2joyk9D1V
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 23, 2018
