Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Kobe Bryant looks back on the first time he showed his wife, Vanessa “Dear Basketball.” It’s a 2017 American animated film written and narrated by Kobe Bryant and directed and animated by Glen Keane, with music by John Williams. The film is based on a letter Bryant wrote for The Players' Tribune on November 29, 2015, announcing his retirement from basketball (Wikipedia). The original interview from Hit Network was uploaded on March 5, 2019.
Full Interview on Hit Network: youtu.be/ZL9FtWjLvpQ
Excerpt from ‘Kobe Bryant’s ‘Dear Basketball’ Is A True Lesson About The Pursuit Of Life’s Purpose’ article by Okla Jones:
On November 29, 2015, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant would see Dear Basketball be published in the Players’ Tribune. The poem was an ode to the sport of basketball, to the game that afforded him so many invaluable opportunities both on and off the court; to the game that he loved. It was also an admission that after 20 years he was finally ready to let go of his first true passion. A few months later he would hang up his jersey for good.
Dear Basketball was later adapted into a 5-minute movie, directed and animated by Glen Keane, and narrated by Bryant himself. Upon its release, it would go on to win several awards, including an Oscar in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film. In his tribute to the game of basketball, Bryant spoke from the perspective of his six year old self, and how even as he matured into a man, his love never waned. He told the world about much he sacrificed for basketball, and in the end, he was finally ready to step into the next phase of his life.
“My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye,” the future Hall of Famer penned. “And that’s OK.”
Full article: essence.com/entertainment/sports/kobe-bryant-dear-basketball-retrospective
Kobe Bryant looks back on the first time he showed his wife, Vanessa “Dear Basketball.” It’s a 2017 American animated film written and narrated by Kobe Bryant and directed and animated by Glen Keane, with music by John Williams. The film is based on a letter Bryant wrote for The Players' Tribune on November 29, 2015, announcing his retirement from basketball (Wikipedia). The original interview from Hit Network was uploaded on March 5, 2019.
Full Interview on Hit Network: youtu.be/ZL9FtWjLvpQ
Excerpt from ‘Kobe Bryant’s ‘Dear Basketball’ Is A True Lesson About The Pursuit Of Life’s Purpose’ article by Okla Jones:
On November 29, 2015, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant would see Dear Basketball be published in the Players’ Tribune. The poem was an ode to the sport of basketball, to the game that afforded him so many invaluable opportunities both on and off the court; to the game that he loved. It was also an admission that after 20 years he was finally ready to let go of his first true passion. A few months later he would hang up his jersey for good.
Dear Basketball was later adapted into a 5-minute movie, directed and animated by Glen Keane, and narrated by Bryant himself. Upon its release, it would go on to win several awards, including an Oscar in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film. In his tribute to the game of basketball, Bryant spoke from the perspective of his six year old self, and how even as he matured into a man, his love never waned. He told the world about much he sacrificed for basketball, and in the end, he was finally ready to step into the next phase of his life.
“My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye,” the future Hall of Famer penned. “And that’s OK.”
Full article: essence.com/entertainment/sports/kobe-bryant-dear-basketball-retrospective
