Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant may have an Oscar to show for his and director Glen Keane’s animated short film “Dear Basketball,” but he won’t be granted entry into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Individuals who win an Academy Award or are nominated for one are often considered for inclusion in the organization, which numbered more than 8,000 members at most recent count. Bryant was considered as well, and the Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation branch actually voted in the affirmative to admit him into the branch.

However, the Academy’s governors committee overruled the decision and rescinded the invitation, Variety has confirmed. Though the branch, through governor Bill Kroyer, argued that Bryant has expressed a desire to work in the short films space, the committee felt the Los Angeles Lakers legend needed to show evidence of a larger career in the field before...