Oscar nominees for 2018: Koby Bryant’s film “Dear Basketball”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their full list of Oscar nominees for 2018 and among them was Koby Bryant’s animated film “Dear Basketball” directed by Disney animator Glen Keane and scored by John Williams. It is an animated version of Bryant’s “Dear Basketball” poem he penned for The Players Tribune in 2015. In it, Bryant voices his poem as animation conveys Kobe’s love of the game as he leaves it behind. The night of the Oscars is scheduled for March 4, when it will be known if Kobe’s five NBA titles and the two Olympic Gold medals can also add an Oscar. Kobe Bryant essentially wrapped up his 2017 by seeing the Los Angeles Lakers retire both his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys in an epic ceremony.