Hollywood stars aren’t the only ones who have won Oscar awards, check out the full list of NBA basketball players who have managed to win an Oscar Award
The NBA and Hollywood share more than just the occasional sideline appearances made by celebrities during NBA games.
List of NBA basketball players who have won an Oscar
Now THREE (3) #NBA players have #Oscar award:
✔️🏆💯🔥🏀 #KobeBryant (2018)
✔️🏆💯🔥🏀 #KevinDurant (2021)
✔️🏆💯🔥🏀 #MikeConley (2021)#AcademyAwards #Kobe #Bryant #KD #Durant #Conley #LosAngelesLakers #Lakers #Brooklyn #Nets #BrooklynNets #UtahJazz #Oscars #AcademyAwards2021 pic.twitter.com/fguzljFpRl— 🏀 MY LIFE WITH NBA 🏀 (@Gutek_z_poligon) April 26, 2021
Mike Conley turns 34 today.
— McDonald’s All-American
— All-Star
— Teammate of the Year
— 3x NBA Sportsmanship Award
— Oscar winner (@TwoDistantFilm); joined Kevin Durant & Kobe Bryant as only NBA players to do so
— on-court 💰: $206M
— deals: Jordan Brand, Toyota, VivintHBD. pic.twitter.com/dsbtjQDvxA
— Boardroom (@boardroom) October 11, 2021
Just last year, the release of Stephen Curry: Underrated at the Sundance Film Festival, sparked many fans to learn about more such Films/ documentaries/series.
Some other such films are LeBron James’ ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’, ‘They Call Me Magic’, a docuseries on ‘Magic Johnson’, The Last Dance, a film on the life of Michael Jordan.
NBA players who have won an Oscar award
While the films stated above gained much acclamation, the players did not win an Oscar Award for them. Given below is list of all the NBA players who have managed to win an Oscar Award for their roles in a movie:
Kobe Bryant- ‘Dear Basketball’ (2018)
Former Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was the first athlete ever to win an Oscars award back in 2018. Kobe won the Oscar for ‘Dear Basketball’ in the Best Animated Short Film category. The 18x NBA All-Star used the film to announce his retirement from the Lakers.
Stephen Curry- ‘Queen of Basketball’ (2022)
The 2x MVP and 4x NBA title winner won the Oscar for the Best Documentary Short Subject, ‘Queen of Basketball’. Stephen Curry signed up to become the Executive Producer for the film alongside fellow NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. The documentary depicts the life of Lusia Harris, the first woman in history to officially feature in the NBA draft.
Steph shared about his involvement in March 2022, stating:
We’re honored to join the talented team behind The Queen of Basketball and play a role in uplifting the story of the trailblazing Lucy Harris. Lucy, a true pioneer in the game of basketball and an inspiration for many, deserves to be recognized for her achievements.
Shaquille O’Neal- ‘Queen of Basketball’ (2022)
15x All-Star Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. The highly accomplished player has won everything there is to win in basketball. Shaq won winning an Oscar for the Best Documentary Short Subject, ‘Queen of Basketball’.
Kevin Durant- ‘Two Distant Strangers’ (2021)
Brooklyn Nets star, Kevin Durant is a highly decorated NBA player. Throughout his career, he was a league MVP, 2x NBA champion, and 2x NBA Finals MVP. Kevin won an Oscar for Best Short Film, ‘Two Distant Strangers’. He signed up as an Executive Producer for the film, alongside Rich Kleiman, under Thirty Five Ventures.
The short film is about a young black man who gets stuck in a time loop. The young man gets killed by the police during a run-in and keeps on reliving it.
Mike Conley- ‘Two Distant Strangers’ (2021)
Utah Jazz star Mike Conley also received an Oscars award for the short film ‘Two Distant Strangers’ alongside Kevin Durant. Mike also served as an Executive producer for the team. Conley received the idea of investing in the short film from a friend, which prompted him to join.
Out of all the players listed above, Kobe is the only one holding the Oscars for his contributions. This because only two nominees get picked for a film, which is usually the person who made the most contributions in terms of creative aspects gets picked. This person is generally the director of the film or the main producer. The remaining executive producers do not get nominated to receive the award.