Retired Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will always be best-known for winning five NBA titles and having the second-highest scoring game of all time, but he’s also now an Oscar winner thanks to his self-written and produced short film, “Dear Basketball.”
Getting into writing wasn’t an unexpected career shift for Bryant after he spent most of his farewell season discussing his love of storytelling. But the amount of people who thought he’d win an Oscar for his effort nearly instantaneously could probably be counted on one or two hands.
It turns out Bryant himself might not have even been among that group of true believers in his storytelling ability.