After Kobe Bryant‘s tragic death last month, venues worldwide have set up memorials and tributes for the legendary NBA player. Most recently, the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl halftime show featured tributes to Bryant and the eight people killed in the January 26 helicopter accident. On Sunday, February 9, the Academy Awards will follow suit.
But unlike the Grammys and Super Bowl, Bryant has a special link to the Oscars, after he won an Oscar for ‘Best Animated Short Film’ just two years ago based on his NBA retirement, called Dear Basketball. Bryant wrote, narrated, and executive produced the film, while former Disney animator Glen Keane directed and animated it. The short film is named after Bryant’s retirement letter, and it follows him as he describes his love for basketball, starting from when he was a kid, and all the way through his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kobe’s Oscar win marked the first time an African-American won for Best Animated Short Film and the first time a former athlete was nominated and won in any Oscar category. Additionally, Dear Basketball was Keane’s first Oscar win, an industry veteran who has worked on Disney classics like Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin.
During his Oscars acceptance speech, Keane said Bryant’s film “was a message for all of us.”
“Whatever form your dream may take, it’s through passion and perseverance that the impossible is possible,” he said.
Keane also shared a touching message last month after Bryant’s death, adding how honored he was to have worked with him.
In the wake of Bryant’s death, the full version of Dear Basketball was made available online, but it seems to have been pulled offline as of now.
There are no specifics on what the Oscars’ tribute to Bryant will include yet, but some fans are calling for legendary actor and longtime Lakers fan Jack Nicholson to be part of it.