The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is planning to acknowledge the death of late basketball legend Kobe Bryant at the 2020 Oscars ceremony on Feb. 9, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
Although Bryant’s basketball accomplishments overshadowed his film efforts, he was an Oscar winner for his five-minute autobiographical short film Dear Basketball. The Los Angeles Laker great wrote, executive produced and lent his voice to the project, which won the best animated short Oscar at the 2018 ceremony.
Dear Basketball (2017 Oscar Winning Animated Short Film) written by @KobeBryant & Directed By @GlenKeanePrd. pic.twitter.com/1fmZWoVGnP
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) January 27, 2020
The Academy on Sunday paid tribute to Bryant in a touching Instagram post, writing, “They doubted a kid could make it in the NBA and he proved them wrong. They doubted he could win a championship and he proved them wrong. They doubted he could make movies and he won an Oscar. Like all great artists, Kobe Bryant proved the doubters wrong. Rest in peace.”