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Interrupted flight of a legend, media and social networks gone crazy, endless condolences — four years ago five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter died in a helicopter crash. On a day when the sports world remembers a great athlete, Sports tells the story of an American's great triumph off the court — winning the Oscar, the most prestigious award in film.
Bryant retired from professional sports in 2016. Left behind are five NBA trophies and two Olympic gold medals, 20 seasons in the jersey of the Los Angeles Lakers, adored from childhood, and 18 All-Star Games (a record four awards for the most valuable player (MVP) of these events), the status of MVP of the regular season and most valuable player of the final playoff series (Kobe won this award twice).
The American decided to end his career a year earlier. And he wrote a poem, which was published on The Player’s Tribune portal in November 2015. In it, Kobe reflected not only the fascination with his favorite sport, but also the history of his relationship with basketball. Ever since he threw not a ball into a basket in front of a crowded arena, but crumpled paper into a trash can that stood in the corner of the children's room.
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"My dear basketball. From the moment I started pulling on my dad's socks and making imaginary game-winning shots at the old Lakers arena, I knew one thing… I love you. The passion was so strong that I gave myself completely to you. Thoughts, consciousness, body. And soul…"
Of course, no one would have given Bryant an Oscar for one poem. The love story had to be turned into a “short film”, with which the basketball player was helped by the cool animator Glen Keane (worked on “Aladdin”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Tarzan” and “The Little Mermaid”) and composer John Williams, who wrote music for “Star Wars” «. The result was a six-minute cartoon in which Kobe read his own lines behind the scenes.
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"…A six-year-old boy, passionately in love with you, never saw the end of the tunnel. I just imagined running out of it… So I just ran. I ran back and forth on the floor, jumping for every ball for you. You demanded to give all your best — I gave you my heart, because I received much more in return.I overcame fatigue and pain not because it was a challenge, but because you asked. I did everything for you, because that's what you do when someone makes you feel so good. You made a six-year-old boy's Lakers dream come true, and I will always love you for it…"
Dear Basketball premiered at New York Film Festival in April 2017.
And a month after the first showing of the cartoon, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated it for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. And Kobe won! In March 2018, he became the first NBA player to receive such recognition. As for Keene, this was his first nomination for the award. And immediately victory.
Standing on stage with a gold statuette, Bryant joked about how “basketball players are supposed to shut their mouths and dribble” (a reference to TV host Laura Ingram’s call after Kobe’s criticism of Donald Trump). He did not hide his joy; he managed to do something more. He also thanked his wife and children… The only thing the American didn’t mention was his craft. Perhaps, it would hardly be possible to express recognition of basketball as in a farewell poem.
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"…But I can’t love you just as passionately anymore. This season is all I can still give you. My heart can handle hard work, my mind is still able to overcome any obstacle. But my body understands: it’s time to say goodbye. And that's okay. I'm ready to have to let you go. I want you to understand that we can both enjoy every moment we have left. Both good and bad. We gave each other everything we could. And we both know: no matter what I do next, I will always remain that kid who pulled on his father’s socks and stood in front of the ballot box… Five seconds left on the scoreboard, the ball is in my hands. Five. Four. Three. Two. Alone… I will always love you. Kobe".
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