Former Lakers star Kobe Bryant wins Oscar for animated short
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant  is a winner in retirement  too.
Backstage   Bryant  looked lovingly at the statue cradled in  his  hands and mouthed  "My God."
"I feel better than winning championships "  he  said  a smile never leaving  his  face. "This is crazy  man  it's crazy."
As executive producer of the six-minute film   Bryant  accepted  his  golden Oscar statue from "Star Wars" star Mark Hamill on Sunday night.  He  shared the award with Disney animator Glen Keane.
"You don't have to sit in a tub of ice " Keane told  Bryant  backstage.
Among those offering their congratulations via Twitter were Hall of Famers Magic Johnson  Bill Russell and Shaquille O'Neal   Bryant 's former Lakers teammate who admitted  "I'm jealous lol."
Since hanging up his basketball shoes   Bryant  has delved into business (a new Nike shoe) and various forms of storytelling.
The 39-year-old sports superstar believed the nomination validated that  he  could succeed off the court.
"I mean  as basketball players we're really supposed to shut up and dribble but I'm glad we do a little bit more than that "  Bryant  said on stage.
 Bryant  said  he  heard dismissive comments like "That's cute" when  he  told people  he  wanted to become a storyteller in retirement.
"The hardest thing when you start over  you have to quiet the ego and begin again. You have to learn the basics of things "  he  said.
From the stage   Bryant  thanked  his  wife  Vanessa  and three daughters  naming each of them.  He  spoke a few words of Italian â a language  he  learned as a child growing up in Italy â and closed by telling them  "You are my inspiration."
Backstage   Bryant  credited Oprah Winfrey and writer-producer Shonda Rhimes for sharing their knowledge of the entertainment business.
 Bryant 's honor comes in the midst of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements to expose abuse and harassment.
In 2003   Bryant  was accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado.  He  admitted to a sexual encounter with the woman  but denied the assault allegation.
The criminal case was dropped after  Bryant 's accuser refused to testify. She later filed a civil suit against him  which was settled out of court and included  Bryant 's public apology to her  although he admitted no guilt.
[TGT]   is a winner in retirement  too.
Backstage   Bryant  looked lovingly at the statue cradled in  his  hands and mouthed  "My God."
"I feel better than winning championships "  he  said  a smile never leaving  his  face. "This is crazy  man  it's crazy."
As executive producer of the six-minute film   Bryant  accepted  his  golden Oscar statue from "Star Wars" star Mark Hamill on Sunday night.  He  shared the award with Disney animator Glen Keane.
"You don't have to sit in a tub of ice " Keane told  Bryant  backstage.
Among those offering their congratulations via Twitter were Hall of Famers Magic Johnson  Bill Russell and Shaquille O'Neal   Bryant 's former Lakers teammate who admitted  "I'm jealous lol."
Since hanging up his basketball shoes   Bryant  has delved into business (a new Nike shoe) and various forms of storytelling.
The 39-year-old sports superstar believed the nomination validated that  he  could succeed off the court.
"I mean  as basketball players we're really supposed to shut up and dribble but I'm glad we do a little bit more than that "  Bryant  said on stage.
 Bryant  said  he  heard dismissive comments like "That's cute" when  he  told people  he  wanted to become a storyteller in retirement.
"The hardest thing when you start over  you have to quiet the ego and begin again. You have to learn the basics of things "  he  said.
From the stage   Bryant  thanked  his  wife  Vanessa  and three daughters  naming each of them.  He  spoke a few words of Italian â a language  he  learned as a child growing up in Italy â and closed by telling them  "You are my inspiration."
Backstage   Bryant  credited Oprah Winfrey and writer-producer Shonda Rhimes for sharing their knowledge of the entertainment business.
 Bryant 's honor comes in the midst of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements to expose abuse and harassment.
In 2003   Bryant  was accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado.  He  admitted to a sexual encounter with the woman  but denied the assault allegation.
The criminal case was dropped after  Bryant 's accuser refused to testify. She later filed a civil suit against him  which was settled out of court and included  Bryant 's public apology to her  although he admitted no guilt.