Kobe Bryant: Five-time NBA champion is nominated for an Oscar

A five-time NBA champion, two Olympic gold medals and now an Oscar winner?

Kobe Bryant won everything on the basketball court but now he has been nominated for a famous gold statue for his short animated film 'Dear Basketball'.

The six-minute film, animated by former Disney animator Glen Keane, is based on a poem Bryant wrote, external in The Players' Tribune in 2015 as he announced his intention to retire from basketball.

The short's music has been composed by five-time Academy Award winner John Williams, who has scored countless Hollywood films including Star Wars, Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, and the Indiana Jones series.

Bryant, 39, played his final game in April 2016 after a 20-year career with the Lakers and the team retired both his number eight and 24 jerseys in December 2017.

"This is beyond the realm of imagination," Bryant tweeted, external after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced his nomination on Tuesday.

"It means so much that the The Academy deemed Dear Basketball worthy of contention. Thanks to the genius of Glen Keane and John Williams for taking my poem to this level. It's an honour to be on this team."

The Oscars ceremony will be held on 4 March at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.