Five-time NBA Champion and former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant won an Oscar at Sunday’s 90th Annual Academy Awards for Best Documentary short for his film Dear Basketball.
#Oscars: Kobe Bryant wins Best Documentary Short https://t.co/svJagGzhqg pic.twitter.com/Mtwj4l9zAS
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 5, 2018
The animated film was written by Bryant and directed by Glen Keane. The story centers around a letter Kobe Bryant wrote in The Players’ Tribune in November 2015, where he announced his retirement from basketball.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Bryant’s basketball career stretched from 1996-2016, where he only played with the Lakers. He won five NBA Championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, one MVP award, 18 All-Star honors and two Olympic gold medals. He finished with 33,643 career points and had his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys retired by the team.
Given how rare it is for an athlete of Bryant’s magnitude to also win one of the most coveted prizes in entertainment, social media couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.
Kobe Bryant has the same amount of oscars as Leonardo DiCaprio.
— Katie (@ktkatherine19) March 5, 2018
Winning an Oscar on his first nomination is the first time Kobe Bryant has ever displayed efficiency.
— Andrew Bucholtz (@AndrewBucholtz) March 5, 2018
#Oscars won:
Michael Jordan: 0
Kobe Bryant: 1The debate is finally over.
— Not Will Ferrell (@itsWillyFerrell) March 5, 2018
Kobe Bryant, Oscar winner. As he walked offstage he said, “Oh my God!” and Kelly Ripa offered him champagne. pic.twitter.com/XQ6dUqO40d
— Rebecca Keegan (@ThatRebecca) March 5, 2018
People who have less Academy Awards than Kobe Bryant: Glenn Close
— Casey Jost (@CaseyJost) March 5, 2018
Sigourney Weaver
Harrison Ford
Johnny Depp
Edward Norton
Michael Jordan
Not saying he doesn’t deserve tonight’s win, but Kobe Bryant has the same number of Oscars as Stanley Kubrick.
— Gerry Duggan (@GerryDuggan) March 5, 2018
. @kobebryant with the 🔥after his Oscar win. “As basketball players we’re really just supposed to shut up and dribble “
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) March 5, 2018
Congratulations to my good friend @kobebryant for winning the Oscar for best animated short film. Well deserved!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 5, 2018
Kobe Bryant has as many Oscars as Leonardo DiCaprio. That sentence is both incredibly awesome and incredibly disappointing.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) March 5, 2018
“People who have less Academy Awards than Kobe Bryant: Glenn Close, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, Edward Norton and Michael Jordan,” Casey Jost wrote.
“Congratulations to my good friend [Kobe Bryant] for winning the Oscar for best animated short film. Well deserved!” fellow Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson wrote.
“Kobe Bryant has the same amount of oscars as Leonardo DiCaprio,” a Twitter user wrote.
“Not saying he doesn’t deserve tonight’s win, but Kobe Bryant has the same number of Oscars as Stanley Kubrick,” another wrote.
“Kobe Bryant has as many Oscars as Leonardo DiCaprio. That sentence is both incredibly awesome and incredibly disappointing,” Twitter user Chris Fedor joked.
