How to Stream “Dear Basketball”: Watch Kobe Bryant’s Film [Video]

“Dear Basketball” is Kobe Bryant’s Oscar award-winning short film and one of his many creations to live on as his legacy.

But how can you watch “Dear Basketball”? Can you stream Bryant’s film? You can watch Kobe Bryant’s film in full here or later in this post.

“Dear Basketball” is a love letter to Bryant’s sport and his profession. It is an animated short which depicts Bryant as a young boy and follows him through his career. The film is based on a letter and poem Bryant wrote when he decided it was time to retire. You can read the poem in full later in this post.

The tragic crash is back in the news for a trial that started August 10, 2022, regarding photos graphic photos from the crash.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Kobe Bryant Won an Academy Award for “Dear Basketball” in 2018

Kobe Bryant became the first athlete to win an Academy Award. He earned the honor for his short film, “Dear Basketball,” which was based on his retirement letter and poem. As Bryant said goodbye to basketball, many are looking for a way to watch his film as a way to say goodbye to Kobe. The film is available to watch for free here or below.

Bryant won the Oscar in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film.

“It was pretty surreal to see myself animated,” Bryant told The New York Times after the short was nominated. “I once dreamed of having a signature Nike shoe, but I never thought I’d be animated by Glen Keane — that pretty much tops everything!”

Keane was a Disney animator.

“‘Dear Basketball’ illustrated the poem Bryant wrote in 2015 as a farewell to the sport he loved; it served as his announcement that the 2015-16 season would be his last,” The New York Times reported. “In the poem, recognizing that his body can no longer bear the game’s demands, he accepts the inevitably of retirement. Keane’s rough pencil drawings depict Bryant as both a Los Angeles Lakers superstar and as a small boy, executing the same leaps and dribbling maneuvers. The film, featuring a score by the composer John Williams, won both the Academy Award for best animated short in 2018 and the Annie Award, the animation industry’s most prestigious prize.”

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“Dear Basketball” Was Based on Bryant’s Retirement Letter to the NBA & Poem

The film was animated by Disney animator Glen Keane, who Bryant approached after seeing his film, “Duet,” according to The New York Times.

“Animation can capture the emotion in the story in a much more compelling, visual way than live action,” Bryant said in a 2017 interview.

Here is Kobe’s full poem:

Dear Basketball,

From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.

A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.

And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe

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