Kobe Bryant's Oscar-winning animated film captures the passion he brought to his sport—and his life

The world lost a hero with the passing of Kobe Bryant yesterday in a tragic helicopter accident in Southern California along with his daughter Gia and seven others. He was known for his relentless devotion to his sport, movingly illustrated in his short film, "Dear Basketball," which earned an Oscar for best animated short film in 2018. Bryant had served as executive producer and narrator of the film, created out of his own content company Granity Studios, alongside animator and film director Glen Keane, with music from Hollywood legend John Williams. The nearly four-minute animated story brought to life the moving poem Bryant wrote to announce his retirement on November 29, 2015 in "The Player's Tribune, which generated 50 miillion views worldwide when it first publshed. "'Dear Basketball' is a story about the child within all of us, having dreams and loving something so much that you know when it's time to say good-bye," Bryant said in a statement at the time of the film's release. "Glen Keane and John Williams are masters of their crafts and bring a raw emotion to this story that I never thought possible." The film spoke to his post-NBA aspirations, which included creating stories out of Granity meant to educate, entertain and inspire. "We created this film with the sincere hope that it resonates with and inspires fans of all ages, in all walks of life, to be the best version of themselves," Bryant added. The excellence of its craft also spoke to the passion Bryant brought not to just his sport, but everything else he set out to achieve. "Dear Basketball" previously aired on Verizon's now-defunct streaming service go90 and was among the content that ran at L.A.'s Staples Center when the Lakers hung up Bryant's #8 and #24 on the stadium's walls during his jersey retirement ceremony. The film also aired on Verizon's Yahoo Sports, AOL and Complex platforms. Granity Studios has not made the film available for viewing online at this time. This story has been updated following the news of Bryant's passing. See more of the work he inspired and helped to create here.

Kobe Bryant's Oscar-winning animated film captures the passion he brought to his sport—and his life

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