Lakers legend Kobe Bryant may be retired, but he hasn't forgotten about basketball. Now, in addition to his NBA accolades, he's an Oscar-nominated athlete as well. Bryant's short, "Dear Basketball," -- based on the 2015 letter he wrote The Players Tribune to announce his retirement -- has been nominated for Best Animated Short at the 2018 Oscars.
The six-minute feature will go up against the following shorts:
- "Garden Party" by Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
- "Lou" by Dave Mullins and Dana Murray
- "Negative Space" by Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata
- "Revolting Rhymes" by Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer
"Dear Basketball" was animated by Glen Keane, who has done work on several major Disney motion pictures like "Pocahontas," "Tarzan," "Tangled" and "Beauty and the Beast."
His son, Max Keane, was a producer on the short. Bryant said that the movie was based on his experiences.
"I can remember what it felt like in certain situations," Bryant said, per Variety. "From years of studying game films, you condition yourself to remember little details."
Of course, no one is more notorious for their meticulous nature than Bryant, who has been noted for his near photographic memory in a basketball context.
"We filmed Kobe showing us how he did it," Max Keane said of a particular scene that involved Bryant rolling socks into a ball.
The film was released last April at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. You can watch the movie here: