Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant.Photo:Stephen Dunn/Getty
Stephen Dunn/Getty
Dwyane Wadeis sharing how Kobe Bryant has inspired him beyond the basketball court.
During an appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonFriday, Wade, 42, discussed the impactBryant’s 2018 Oscar winfor the animated short filmDear Basketballhad on him as he reflected on the late NBA legend’s legacy outside of the sport.
“I remember when Kobe won his Oscar,” he continued. “It showed me and it told me if you get behind something you’re really passionate about, that people can feel your heartbeat through it, then great things can happen obviously you know through their basketball.”
Speaking further about the win, Wade said, “When he won that, as a guy who just retired, I was sitting there knowing that my time was coming, I was like, ‘Well I guess I gotta go win an Oscar now!”
“I mean, I’m trying not to get left too far behind in all the accolades, the championships, the gold medals,” the ex-Miami Heat player added. “ … so please voters let’s do it!” he urged the camera.
Wade executive produced the 2023 documentaryThe Barber Of Little Rock,which has beennominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Short category.The film looks at America’s widening wealth gap and follows the story of a barber based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The NBA star’s recollection of Bryant’s Oscar win comes on thefourth anniversary of the Los Angeles Lakers star’s untimely deathin a helicopter crash.
Wade spoke about Bryant’s impact on him on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty
In 2018, Bryant took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Short forDear Basketball,which he narrated, based on a poem he wrote of the same name for The Players' Tribune where he announced his retirement from basketball in November 2015.
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Speaking after his win Bryant told reporters at the time, “I feel better than winning the championship, I swear. Growing up as a kid, I dreamt of winning championships and worked really hard. But then to have something like this come out of left field.”
“I heard a lot of people tell me, ‘What are you going to do when you retire?’ I want to be a writer and a storyteller,” the late sports star explained. “I got a lot of, ‘That’s cute.’ I got that a lot. To be here right now and have a sense of validation, this is crazy.”
source: people.com
