AceShowbiz - Basketball legend Kobe Bryant has been denied membership to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, despite winning an Oscar earlier this year.

The retired sportsman served as an executive producer and writer for "Dear Basketball", which earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Short at the March ceremony.

Bryant's win made him the first NBA player to claim the prize but striking gold hasn't been enough to earn him entry into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organisation behind Hollywood's big night.

According to TMZ.com, boardmembers cited a lack of film credits for the rejection, as their rules state producers should "have the equivalent of 2 producer screen credits and perform the majority of the functions of a producer on theatrical feature films of the caliber which in the opinion of the executive committee reflect the high standards of the Academy".

Bryant doesn't have any other film projects to his name as a producer, but he did previously work on the TV docu-series "Muse".