Honoring the recently-departed basketball legend, Granity Studios has released Kobe Bryant’s Oscar-winning short film, Dear Basketball. The film was written and produced by Kobe himself, based off a poem he wrote back in November 2015 for The Players’ Tribute to announce his retirement from the NBA.
The film tells the story of Kobe’s love for the sport of basketball in a love letter fashion. Bryant shares his early passions for the sport, transitioning to all the hours and blood, sweat and perseverance he put into the sport that made him feel alive. The end of the narrative was his farewell as a professional basketball player. “Whatever I do next I’ll always be that kid with the balled-up socks, garbage can in the corner, five seconds on the clock, ball in my hands.” Kobe wrote.
The short film was directed and animated by Glen Keane with musical compositions from John Williams. The film won Best Animated Short Film at the 90th Oscars in 2018. Watch the film above.
Update: The official video has been removed, but you can still find Kobe’s Dear Basketball online.
