National Basketball Association

The Latest: Kobe Bryant service ends with Oscar-winning film

Updated Jun. 18, 2020 1:06 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the public memorial for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in downtown Los Angeles (all times local):

12:45 p.m.

A selection from the short film “Dear Basketball” that won Kobe Bryant an Academy Award played on the big screens at Staples Center to wrap up a public memorial for the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

He won a 2018 Oscar in the animated short category for the film based on a poem he wrote after ending his 20-year career basketball career in 2016.

At the time, Bryant said he believed the nomination validated that he could succeed off the court and have a productive and creative retirement.

The memorial for Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others who died in a helicopter crash last month featured heartfelt stories from Bryant's widow, Vanessa, NBA legends Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal and other friends in the basketball community. Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera performed.

The memorial ended after the film was shown, and the crowd began chanting, “Kobe! Kobe!”