Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant -- yeah, "former" still sounds weird -- is making his poem into an animated short film. "Dear Basketball," which doubled as a love letter to the sport and his retirement announcement, was published on the Players' Tribune in late November. In the fall, the "multi-platform video project" will premiere on Sports Illustrated's website, as announced by SI, Kobe Studios and Believe Entertainment Group on Thursday.
Several exclusive SI Films mini documentaries will also accompany the film, showing viewers the behind-the-scenes process of producing the project.
“Dear Basketball is the perfect tribute to something I’ve loved for so long,” Bryant in a statement. “Working with Sports Illustrated on this special project is an amazing opportunity to hopefully inspire fans all over the world.”
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“We are proud to collaborate with Kobe to tell the comprehensive story of his first endeavor after retiring from the NBA in a way that only SI can,” said Rich Battista, President of the Time Inc. Entertainment and Sports Group and Video. “We are excited for Kobe’s fans and the global community of sport, entertainment and art enthusiasts to experience these productions.”
Glenn Keane, who has animated movies such as Tangled and The Little Mermaid, will animate the film. Five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams, who is responsible for the scores for the Indiana Jones series and Star Wars, among others, will provide the music for the project.
SI, Kobe Studios and Believe Entertainment Group will co-host a red carpet event when the film is released.
Bryant loves Walt Disney, so as bizarre as this is, it also seems on-brand for him. He was spotted recently at DisneyLand receiving an MVP-like treatment from the fans. Kudos to Bryant for getting John Williams involved -- it certainly doesn't seem like his production company is cutting corners here.
It looks like this is the start of Bryant's second career. He has said that he's passionate about storytelling and hinted that he will be involved in many video projects. Bryant had a documentary crew follow him and the Lakers around for his final season, and he already has experience in that area: In 2015, Showtime aired a documentary entitled "Kobe Bryant's Muse," and Bryant was involved in that project from beginning to end.
An animated short film, of course, is much different than a documentary and much different than a poem. What will this version "Dear Basketball" actually look like? Your guess is as good as mine. As with anything Bryant does in retirement, though, there will be a huge audience curious to find out.
