(SPOT.ph) Basketball star and NBA legend Kobe Bryant is considered one of the best players the game has ever seen: he was the fourth highest-scoring player in the league, and was named MVP twice in his 20-year career. Basketball fans and casual sports followers alike were shocked when Bryant was confirmed dead on January 26, along with 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant. The two were headed to the Mamba Sports Academy via a helicopter which crashed in Calabasas, California, killing everyone onboard.
As fans mourn the death of the Black Mamba, many are taking the time to look back at his greatest games and moments. One thing worth a watch is an animated short film titled Dear Basketball, which Bryant wrote and narrated himself.
The 2017 film is based on Bryant's 2015 retirement letter posted on The Players' Tribune, and is brought to life by veteran Disney animator Glen Keane, with music by John Williams. In the film, Bryant narrates how he fell in love with the sport at the age of six after watching his father, former NBA player Joe Bryant. He then dedicated his life to becoming the best player he could be. Dear Basketball went on to win an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2018. Bryant is the first and only NBA player to win an Oscar.
