Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant Wins Sports Emmy Award For ‘Dear Basketball’

Matthew Moreno
2 Min Read
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY NETWORK

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant added to his trophy case, again with another off-the-court honor, by winning an Sports Emmy Award for “Dear Basketball.” His animated film won in the Outstanding Post-Produced Graphic Design category.

Bryant was up against “CBS Thursday Night Football/NFL Today,” ESPN2’s “Fantasy Football Marathon,” ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” and the “NFL on NBC.” It wasn’t all triumph for the five-time champion, however.

“Dear Basketball” was nominated but lost out to CBS’ “AFC Championship” to tease John Malkovich in the Outstanding Short Form Editing category, and to the CBS broadcast of the 118th Army-Navy football game for Outstanding Music Direction.

Nevertheless, Bryant’s wildly successful career with the Lakers has extended beyond the hardwood. He previously won an Oscar Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Bryant said winning the Academy Award was superior to his five championships, in large part because it’s not a field he expected to excel in.

“Dear Basketball,” which is narrated by Bryant, is based on a poem he wrote that was published on The Players’ Tribune in 2015 to formally announce his retirement.

In addition to racking up hardware, the future Hall-of-Famer is producing a series, “Detail,” that streams exclusively on ESPN+.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com