Kobe Bryant's "Dear Basketball" Wins Oscar For Best Animated Short

Former U.S. basketball player Kobe Bryant's "Dear Basketball" won the Best Animated Short Award at the 90th Oscars on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant, winner of the award for best animated short for "Dear Basketball", left, and Danny Glover attend the Governors Ball after the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. [Photo by Eric Jamison/Invision/AP]

Directed by Disney animator Glen Keane with a score by John Williams, the film is an animated version of Bryant's "Dear Basketball" poem he penned for The Players' Tribune in 2015.

Kobe Bryant, winner of the award for best animated short for "Dear Basketball", poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. [Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]

In the short, Bryant voices his poem as animation conveys Kobe's love of the game as he leaves it behind.

"I don't know if it's possible, as basketball players we're really supposed to shut up and dribble. I'm glad we do a little bit more than that," said the 18-time All-Star.

The animated film beat "Garden Party," "Lou," "Negative Space" and "Revolting Rhymes."

Vanessa Laine Bryant, left, and Kobe Bryant arrive at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. [Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP]

Bryant played 20 seasons with the Lakers, winning five championships during his career. He scored 33,643 career points, currently third on the all-time list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.