Former Lakers star Kobe Bryant added to his trophy cabinet last night winning himself an Oscar for his contributions to an animated short called “Dear Basketball” which was based on a poem he wrote back in 2015 about on his impending retirement.
Bryant shared the award with Disney animator Glen Keane who mentioned that Kobe’s poem is a message for all of us and that “Whatever form your dream may take, it’s through passion and perseverance that the impossible is possible.”
The future NBA Hall of Famer further thanked his wife Vanessa and his daughters before dropping some Italian which he picked up while growing up in Italy.
What really stood out though when it came to Kobe’s continued successes now transcending to Hollywood was the world around him continuing to gloss over his seedy past. Specifically and ironically on a night that was so devoted to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement.
A couple of months ago we commented on the “Michael Jackson” treatment Kobe Bryant had received in the months leading up to his final game in the NBA as well as the days leading up to his jersey retirement by the Lakers. There had been no mention of the rape allegations against Bryant from back in 2003 when he allegedly sexually assaulted a 19-year-old hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. Although the case was eventually dismissed because his accuser refused to testify, there was some real damning evidence against Bryant in the case which aside from the dismissal was too settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Then we come to this…
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/970488578739351552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fjezebel.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-970488578739351552%26autosize%3D1
Congrats to KOBE first Oscar that’s big bro #dearbasketball. Proud of you, Big honor for you and your family. I’m jealous lol
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) March 5, 2018
Kobe Bryant accepts #Oscar for Best Animated Short: "As basketball players, we're really supposed to shut up and dribble. But I'm glad we do a little bit more than that." https://t.co/lJd891ISOk #Oscars pic.twitter.com/5dLQ6CwRlB
— ABC News (@ABC) March 5, 2018
Congrats to @kobebryant on his win for Best Animated Short. pic.twitter.com/aYbNEXxTQn
— BET (@BET) March 5, 2018
You see it’s shit like this that continues to hamper further victims coming forward. Because as a victim of sexual assault weighs the pros and cons of coming out against their attacker and re-lives the event over and over again in their head, guys like Kobe Bryant continue to reap the benefits of a storied BASKETBALL career while persistent praise and pop culture worship roll in. Then if the accuser decides to come forward, they’re often’s met with ridicule as gold diggers seeking nothing more than a payday.
But what makes Kobe winning the award last night more troubling is again just how tone-deaf the Academy continues to be. Even on a night when Harvey Weinstein continued to be deservedly shunned and everyone wondered why the hell Ryan Seacrest (who’s dealing with is own sexual assault allegations) was on the red carpet?
But time has without a doubt healed Bryant’s transgressions to the point that it’s hardly even brought up.
I mean, Bryant given the setting last night accepting an Oscar would be like Mike Pence accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award from GLAD.
But how surprised can any of us be with something like this, especially since we’re talking about the Academy? This is the same group that seemingly speaks out against sexual assault yet still has dirtbags like Roman Polanski as a member.