Former NBA Laker Kobe Bryant is now an Oscar winner.

The retired basketball player and MVP won the Academy Award for best animated short film Sunday.

>> Read more trending news

Sports Illustrated reported that the short film, based on Bryant's 2015 letter in the Player's Tribune, was directed with animator Glen Keane. Keane has previously done  character work on Disney animations like "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast," "Pocahontas" and "Tarzan."

Bryant used his time on stage to thank his family and take a dig at Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who chastised LeBron James for speaking out about social issues, telling him to “shut up and dribble” on her show in February.

2018 Oscars Top Nominations

“As basketball players, we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble,” Bryant said. “But I’m glad we do a little bit more than that.”

On Twitter, numerous elebrities congratulated Bryant on is win, which can be read below.

About the Author

Featured

Healthcare at College Park, a nursing home in Fulton County, GA, stands shuttered with its door chained on July 26, 2025, having closed in recent months.  Researchers at Brown University developed a list of U.S. nursing homes they predicted were at risk of closing based on 2023 data, and would be at elevated risk of closing due to the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act's cuts to Medicaid. Healthcare at College Park was on their list.  It survived past its last federal inspection in August of 2024 but has now closed down. The bill's biggest provisions will roll out over years starting Jan. 1. (Ariel Hart/AJC)

Credit: Ariel Hart