Kobe Bryant is an NBA MVP, Finals champion, and future Hall of Famer — and he’s now also an Oscar-winning filmmaker.
For all the discussion about whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James is the best basketball player of all-time, neither of them have an Academy Award.
Kobe Bryant does.
The Lakers legend added an Academy Award to his mantle of accolades on Sunday, winning Best Animated Short for Dear Basketball. Whatever is beyond G.O.A.T. status, Kobe is going to be there to welcome anyone else lucky enough to join the club.
When Kobe retired, we all assumed the usual things would happen when a legendary player hangs it up. He’d either get into television or start working his way towards either running or owning a franchise some day.
But true to form, Kobe did it different. He may still get into the front office business some day, perhaps throwing his hat in the ring to purchase the Los Angeles Lakers when the day comes. Until then, he’s blazing a new trail that we’re already seeing some players trying to follow: Become a Hollywood icon.
Just the mere fact that Kobe was up for an Oscar, less than a half decade after he retired from the game, is mindblowing. Then again, if you believe anything you heard about his work ethic it’s not that surprising.
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Michael Jordan was in Space Jam and LeBron is already trying his hand at producing television, which means he could become the first NBA legend to win an Emmy award. Thanks to Kobe — just like in his playing days — that’s the only lane left open.