One may assume the Oscar nomination for “Dear Basketball” would only be good news for Kobe Bryant, but it has unearthed a dark period in his past.
The short film is based on Bryant’s retirement letter from the NBA, and scored an Academy Award nod for Best Animated Short Film.
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Amid the Harvey Weinstein scandal, #MeToo movement and Time’s Up movement, however, people are again discussing Bryant’s alleged sexual assault case from 2003.
Bryant, now 39, was arrested in Eagle, Colorado in the summer of 2003 on charges of sexual assault. A 19-year-old hotel employee accused Bryant of raping her during his stay at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera.
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The case never went to criminal court, because Bryant’s accuser refused to testify, but a civil suit was settled for an undisclosed sum and an apology from the 18-time NBA All-Star.
Bryant publicly confessed to having consensual relations with the accuser and publicly apologized to his wife.
