Dear Basketball

2017

6 min.

Drama

Animation

List

69%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's poem.

Read More

Read Less

Audience Member

The combination of some really good pencil drawings from a noted Disney animator/director, a terrific score from John Williams and good narration make the Oscar-winning short film Dear Basketball a potent love letter to the titular sport that's even more poignant now in the wake of Kobe Bryant's tragic death in 2020. I might not be much of a sports buff but I still really liked this short film. Makes me curious as to what I would've thought of it had I seen it back when Kobe and his daughter were still alive.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This was a cool little short film. Kobe really was an inspiration to many people (including myself) and it is so sad that he passed away so young. Rip Kobe.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/23/20

Full Review

Audience Member

A beautifully animated short film with a nice story about the late Kobe Bryant. While I will not forgive the academy for favoring this over Lou, this is a nice short film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A heartfelt tribute to basketball by Kobe Bryant with great animation and a beautiful score by John Williams.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

adam b

Beautifully put-together, this film is hard to watch after Kobe's passing. A truly beautiful short

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The only reason why this one and Oscar's is because Kobe Bryant did it. Probably the stupidest thing you'll ever watch.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

98%

76%

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

97%

87%

Ethel & Ernest

89%

83%

The Swallows of Kabul

93%

80%

Funan

TRAILER

for Funan

97%

80%

Tehran Taboo

TRAILER

for Tehran Taboo

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the Oscars 2018

Awards Leaderboard: Top Movies of 2017

View more photos

Roberto Friedman

Bay Area Reporter

It's a narcissistic love affair for true fans only.

Jun 3, 2020

Full Review

Glenn Dunks

Junkee

Nice animation, but Bryant's poem is barf-worthy.

Jun 20, 2018

Full Review

Shaun Munro

Flickering Myth

Even with its potent John Williams score, Dear Basketball ultimately doesn't amount to too much substantial.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 19, 2018

Full Review

Laura Hiros

Diario La Estrella (Fort Worth, TX)

The sweet story of a little boy who falls in love with a basketball to become a true sports legend. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/5

Mar 14, 2018

Full Review

Kiko Martinez

San Antonio Current

A beautifully hand-drawn animation and personal poem that is both impassioned and inspiring.

Rated: B+

Mar 7, 2018

Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

This short is so toothless that it doesn't even rise to the level of convincing advertising, even though it is a clearly calculated attempt at a rebranding of Kobe Bryant in the wake of a credible accusation of rape...

Rated: 1/5

Mar 5, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's poem.

Director: Glen Keane
Screenwriter: Kobe Bryant
Genre: Drama, Animation