Jimmy Kimmel had Kobe Bryantโahem, Oscar winner Kobe Bryantโon Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday night, and of course, the two talked about the Oscar that Kobe won on Sunday night for Best Animated Film Short for Dear Basketball. Kobe told Kimmel he still canโt believe he won the award.
"Iโm still tripping about it," Kobe said. "I hadnโt won a championship in a really, really long time."
Kobe also said he wasnโt expecting to win the award at all. "This is not supposed to happen," he said. "Iโm supposed to play basketball, not write something that wins an Oscar."
And Kobe said that, disbelief aside, he plans on pushing even more boundaries now that heโs in elite company as an Oscar winner. While Kobe didnโt divulge any specific plans, he told Kimmel heโs going to try and use his win at the Oscars to help others.
"This is a fascinating industry to be a part of," Kobe said. "But for us going forward, itโs 'How do we, how do I carry this night beyond this thing?' Now thereโs a greater sense of responsibility. How do I provide more opportunities for even more diverse and new voices to be heard in this industry? In the animation business, thereโs a serious lack of diversityโฆThereโs a lot of work that needs to be done, and Iโm really excited to push that forward."
But the funniest part of the interview came towards the end when Kimmel told Kobe he had a gift he wanted to give him (and his Oscar!) for winning the award. The comedian pulled out two tiny Lakers jerseysโone with the No. 24 on it, the other with the No. 8โand gave them to Kobe. Kimmel even put the No. 24 one on Kobe'sย Oscar, and it fit like a glove.
You can watch Kobe and Kimmelโs full Oscar talk in the clip above. The part with the tiny jerseys starts at around the 5:25 mark. You can also check out some of the reactions people had to the hilarious moment when Kimmel gave Kobe the tiny jerseys below.