NEW YORK, NY - The day Kobe Bryant retired from his 20-year NBA career and penned his November 2015 farewell tribute to the game of basketball, his words touched so many who loved the player he become and all he achieved on his journey. “I fell in love with you,” Bryant said to the game in his letter. “A love so deep I gave you my all. From my mind and body, to my spirit and soul.”
On Sunday, two years later, during the opening day of the TriBeCa Film Festival, Bryant unveiled his farewell letter to the game as an animated short film entitled, “Dear Basketball.” The brilliant animation was realized with help from visionary animator Glen Keane along with legendary music composer John Williams of Star Wars fame.
Normally, NYCHoops.net covers high school basketball but when we were invited to cover a private screening and panel discussion featuring probably the greatest player ever to go from High School straight to the NBA, the connection was obvious. The intimate format featured Bryant and Keane, moderated by NFL Legend Michael Strahan. After viewing, the two respective legends spoke candidly about the film and their lives. Afterwards they fielded question from the audience.
From the film’s start to its finish, you watched Bryant’s words come to life as images of a young six-year-old boy rolling his dad’s tube socks and shooting imaginary game winning shots. Then ending with him at the height of his playing career, leaving silently into a bright light.
Bryant spoke about the creation of the film. “I wanted it to be hand drawn. I couldn’t think of a better person so I called Glen Keane.” Bryant said he was a huge fan of Keane who animated such iconic characters as Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Aladdin, The Beast, Tarzan, and Rapunzel for several years with Disney before striking out on his own. Dear Basketball is Keane’s first independent project.
The 5-time NBA champion and 18-time NBA All-Star described how he fell in love with the game. “Basketball was immediate and it was just a connection I couldn’t get away from,” said Bryant. “I loved everything about it. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the hardwood or cement when I’m playing. I like the sound it makes when it hits the rim or net. I love the smell of the leather when you first get a new ball. All these things drew me to the game of basketball at a very early age.”
Bryant spoke about what he feels is one of the best ways to inspire the next generation of athletes, which is through story. “If you do it through story, it tends to sink in more. For this film, it was very important it was an animation, because the fabric of the piece was a patient one, telling the story of how you build a career over time.”
As for the future, Bryant says he now wants to help kids find their purpose in life through story. Having reached the pinnacle of basketball and having left the game he loved with a sense of finality, he now enters the next phase of his life, ready to embrace his new love for writing. “Through film, short stories, if I can create stories that help kids understand a life lesson, that is my purpose.”
