Kobe Bryant's Oscar-Winning "Dear Basketball" Available To Watch For Free

BYAron A.2.7K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Filmmakers Kobe Bryant (L) and Glen Keane accept Best Animated Short Film for 'Dear Basketball' onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California
Granity Studio shared the short film on Vimeo and its website.

UPDATE 01/28/20: Contrary to reports, Dear Basketball is not actually available to watch for free, sources confirm. You can watch the trailer for the film here.

Kobe Bryant will forever go down as one of the greatest basketball players to ever play in the NBA but beyond the twenty years he played, he continued to make major strides in his post-NBA career. Described as a writer, producer, and investor in his Instagram bio, Kobe went on to dive deeper into the creative world with films and literature.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Following the untimely passing of Kobe Bryant, Granity Studios has revealed that the Oscar-award winning short film, Dear Basketball is now available for free streaming on dearbasketball.com and Vimeo. Dear Basketball is a short film narrated by Kobe Bryant and based on a poem he wrote to announce his retirement from the NBA. Greg Keane served as a the director and animator of the film that “tells the inspiring story of one little boy living out his basketball dream.”

“It’s a message for all of us,” Keane said during his acceptance speech at the Oscars for best animated short. "It’s through passion and perseverance that the impossible is possible.”

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among the nine people who died yesterday during a helicopter crash in Calabassas. The news shocked the world with many Grammy performers dedicating their performance or paying homage to Kobe Bryant during the award ceremony. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...