{"id":15135,"date":"2018-03-04T23:29:40","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T05:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=15135"},"modified":"2018-03-04T23:32:48","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T05:32:48","slug":"former-5x-nba-champion-18x-nba-all-star-2x-nba-finals-mvp-current-venture-capitalist-kobe-bean-bryant-is-officially-an-oscar-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=15135","title":{"rendered":"FORMER 5X NBA CHAMPION, 18X NBA ALL-STAR, 2X NBA FINALS MVP, CURRENT VENTURE CAPITALIST, “KOBE BEAN BRYANT”, IS OFFICIALLY AN OSCAR WINNER"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

\"\"Add an Oscar to Kobe Bryant\u2019s lengthy list of wins. The five-time NBA championship winner has earned a new piece of hardware: an Oscar for Best Animated Short.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs basketball players we\u2019re really supposed to shut up and dribble. I\u2019m glad we\u2019re doing much more than that,\u201d Bryant said in his acceptance speech, referencing\u00a0controversial comments<\/a>\u00a0by Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham. He also thanked the Academy, composer John Williams, and his wife and daughters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Director Glen Keane also thanked Bryant, saying the short has \u201ca message for all of us \u2014 whatever form your dream may take, it\u2019s through passion and perseverance, that the impossible is possible.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Asked backstage about athletes making political statements, Bryant added,\u00a0\u201cI think everybody must approach things\u2026 from their position of whatever\u2019s comfortable for them. I think for us, not just as athletes but as people in general, we have the ability to speak up for what it is we believe in. Whether you\u2019re a professional athlete or not, whether you\u2019re an actor or not, you still have the ability to speak up for what it is you believe in, as well as people have the right to criticize. This is the democracy that we live in. That\u2019s what makes America beautiful.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bryant\u2019s short, \u201cDear Basketball,\u201d is based on the poem he wrote in 2015 when he announced his retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers. The poem is set to hand-drawn animation by Disney-alum Keane and a score by Williams. Bryant and Williams have been friendly since 2008<\/a> when Bryant reached out to ask the composer about his process.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other nominees in the category were \u201cNegative Space,\u201d by Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter; \u201cRevolting Rhymes\u201d by Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer; \u201cGarden Party\u201d by Gabriel Grapperon and Victor Caire; and \u201cLou\u201d by Dave Mullins and Dana Murray.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American businessman and a former professional basketball\u00a0<\/a>player.<\/sup> He played his entire 20-year career<\/a> with the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> of the National Basketball Association\u00a0<\/a>(NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships<\/a> with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star<\/a>, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team<\/a>, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team<\/a>. He led the NBA in scoring<\/a> during two seasons, and ranks third on the league’s all-time regular season scoring<\/a> and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring<\/a> list. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career<\/a> and is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.<\/sup><\/sup><\/sup><\/sup> Bryant is the first guard<\/a> in NBA history to play for at least 20 seasons<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant<\/a>, Kobe Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career atLower Merion High School<\/a> in Pennsylvania<\/a>, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared for the NBA draft<\/a> upon graduation and was selected in the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft<\/a> by the Charlotte Hornets<\/a>, who traded him to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest<\/a>, and he was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud between them<\/a>, Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal<\/a> led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000<\/a> to 2002<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault<\/a> in Colorado<\/a>, but the charges were eventually dropped, and a civil suit was settled out of court. After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals<\/a>, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat<\/a>. Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers, and he led the NBA in scoring during the 2005\u201306<\/a> and 2006\u201307\u00a0<\/a>seasons. In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors<\/a>, the second most points scored in a single game<\/a> in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game<\/a> in 1962. Bryant was awarded the regular season’s Most Valuable Player Award<\/a> (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals<\/a>, he led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009<\/a> and 2010<\/a>, earning the Finals MVP Award<\/a> on both occasions. He continued to be among the top players in the league through 2013, when the 34-year-old Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon<\/a>. Although he recovered, his play was limited the following two years by season-ending injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing his physical decline, he announced that he would retire after the 2015\u201316<\/a> season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history on February 1, 2010, when he surpassed Jerry West<\/a>. During his third year in the league, Bryant was chosen to start the All-Star Game, and he would continue to be selected to start that game for a record 18 consecutive appearances until his retirement. His four All-Star MVP Awards<\/a> are tied for the most in NBA history. At the 2008<\/a> and 2012 Summer Olympics<\/a>, he won gold medals<\/a> as a member of the U.S. national team<\/a>. Sporting News<\/a><\/i> and TNT<\/a> named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film<\/a> for his film Dear Basketball<\/a><\/i>.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bryant @kobebryant is the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars<\/a> (ASAS), an American non-profit organization that provides comprehensive after-school programs<\/a> to children in 13 US cities.<\/sup> Bryant also started the Kobe Bryant China Fund which partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government.<\/sup> The Kobe Bryant China Fund raises money within China earmarked for education and health programs.<\/sup> On November 4, 2010, Bryant appeared alongside Zach Braff<\/a> at the Call of Duty: Black Ops<\/a> launch event at the Santa Monica Airport<\/a>, where they presented a $1\u00a0million check to the Call of Duty Endowment, an Activision-founded nonprofit organization that helps veterans transition to civilian careers after their military service has ended.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Bryant established Kobe Inc. to own and grow brands in the sports industry. The initial investment was in the BodyArmor sports drink company in 2014. The headquarters are in Newport Beach, California<\/a>.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

On August 22, 2016, Kobe and his business partner Jeff Stibel<\/a> launched Bryant-Stibel, a venture capital<\/a> firm focused on different businesses including media, data, gaming, and technology, with $100 million in funding.<\/sup><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Add an Oscar to Kobe Bryant\u2019s lengthy list of wins. The five-time NBA championship winner has earned a new piece of hardware: an Oscar for Best Animated Short. \u201cAs basketball players we\u2019re really supposed to shut up and dribble. I\u2019m glad we\u2019re doing much more than that,\u201d Bryant said in his acceptance speech, referencing\u00a0controversial comments\u00a0by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[330,11,8,1314,1456,1156,13,14,106,1,1282,12,7,9,10],"tags":[2222,2149,2220,2139,2142,1555,1612,2144,2143,2145,2141,1607,2591,1311,2137,2138,2140,2146,2136,2148,2590,2221,2135],"class_list":["post-15135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-health","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-news","category-olympics","category-scitech","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-kobebryant","tag-047-5-2-rpg-assists-6","tag-1978-age-39-philadelphia","tag-2000-2016-4x-nba-all-star-game-mvp-2002","tag-2001-2x-all-nba-third-team-1999","tag-1555","tag-1612","tag-2144","tag-2005-9x-nba-all-defensive-first-team-2000","tag-2006-2011-3x-nba-all-defensive-second-team-2001","tag-2006-2013-2x-all-nba-second-team-2000","tag-1607","tag-2007-nba-slam-dunk-contest-champion-1997-nba-all-rookie-second-team-1997-naismith-prep-player-of-the-year-1996-nos-8-24-retired-by-los-angeles-lakers-career-statistics-points-33","tag-1311","tag-2010-2x-nba-finals-mvp-2009","tag-2010-nba-most-valuable-player-2008-18x-nba-all-star-1998","tag-2011-11x-all-nba-first-team-2002-2004","tag-2012-2x-nba-scoring-champion-2006","tag-24-career-history-1996-2016-los-angeles-lakers-career-highlights-and-awards-5x-nba-champion-2000-2002","tag-643-25-0-ppg-rebounds-7","tag-kobe-bryant-kobe-bryant-warming-up-jpg-bryant-in-2015-personal-information-born-august-23","tag-pennsylvania-nationality-american-listed-height-6-ft-6-in-1-98-ma-listed-weight-212-lb-96-kg-career-information-high-school-lower-merion-ardmore","tag-pennsylvania-nba-draft-1996-round-1-pick-13th-overall-selected-by-the-charlotte-hornets-playing-career-1996-2016-position-shooting-guard-number-8","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}