Respectively quadruple and triple NBA champions, Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry can add a small golden statuette to their list. The former pivot and the leader of Golden State are among the executive producers of the documentary “The Queen of Basketball”, rewarded Sunday evening at the Oscars in the category best documentary short film.
Curry and O’Neal follow in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant, who won 2018 for “Dear Basketball”, an animated short inspired by the letter written to announce his retirement. But the former Lakers legend was also the co-director of the film and was able to receive his Oscar on stage.
Director calls for Brittney Griner’s release
“The Queen of Basketball” chronicles the life of Lusia Harris, one of the most important figures in women’s basketball. A member of the silver medal-winning American Olympic team in Montreal in 1976, she was the first woman selected in the NBA draft in 1977. The New Orleans Jazz chose her in the seventh round. Pregnant at the time, she never played for the franchise but became the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992. Harris died in January 2022, aged 66.
On accepting the Oscar, director Ben Proudfoot also had a word for Brittney Griner, WNBA star currently being held in Russia. ” President (Joe) Biden, bring Brittney Griner home “, launched Proudfoot. The kingpin was arrested in mid-February at Moscow airport for possession of cannabis oil.
