Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna and seven other people died in a helicopter crash outside the Los Angeles area on Sunday morning. Bryant is one of the legends of the NBA, but his passing did not just affect the league, but it also hit the entire entertainment industry. Actress Reese Witherspoon heard the news and she went to Twitter to express her sadness about the loss of Bryant.
“Just devastated to hear about #KobeBryant,” Witherspoon wrote. “An extraordinary athlete, and a genuinely kind, wonderful man. Sending love, prayers & compassion to his family. To his entire @NBA family as well.”
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Even though Bryant and Witherspoon made names for themselves in two different fields, they have something big in common – they are Academy Award winners. Witherspoon won an Oscar for her role as June Carter in the film Walk the Line. Bryant won an Oscar Award for his animated short film Dear Basketball.
“I don’t know if it’s possible. I mean, as basketball players we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble but I’m glad we do a little bit more than that,” Bryant said as he accepted the Oscar back in 2018 via USA Today.
“Thank you, Academy, for this amazing honor. Thank you, John Williams, for such a wonderful piece of music. Thank you, Verizon, for believing in the film. Thank you, Molly Carter, without you we wouldn’t be here. And to my wife Vanessa, our daughters Natalia, Gianna, and Bianka. Ti amo con tutto il mio cuore [I love you with all my heart]. You are my inspiration. Thank you so much, guys, thank you.”
Before winning the award, Bryant told The Undefeated that the Oscar nomination was an indication that basketball players can do a lot more than just play basketball.
“I’ve always been told that as basketball players the expectation is that you play,” he said. “This is all you know. This is all you do. Don’t think about handling finances. Don’t think about going into business. Don’t think that you want to be a writer — that’s cute. I got that a lot. What do you want to do when you retire? ‘Well, I want to be a storyteller.’ That’s cute. This is … a form of validation for people to look and say, ‘OK, he really can do something other than dribble and shoot.’”
