Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles, earned numerous MVP Awards, and was named an NBA All-Star 18 times during his 20-year career. In 2018, Bryant added another award to his many accolades, becoming the first NBA player to win an Academy Award, for writing an animated short entitled Dear Basketball. The six-minute film was based on his retirement letter, which was published in The Players' Tribune in 2015.
He shoots, he scores -- again:
- Accepting the Oscar alongside animator Glen Keane, Bryant told the audience that “as basketball players, we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble. I’m glad we do a little bit more than that.”
- The comment was made in response to Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham’s statement that NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant should “shut up and dribble,” instead of criticizing Donald Trump.
- Kobe Bryant retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016, having joined the NBA straight of high school in the 1996 draft.