Kevin Durant and Mike Conley follow Kobe Bryant to win Oscar

Kevin Durant is one of the best players to ever grace an NBA court but he’s joined Kobe Bryant in a stunning success off the court.

Kevin Durant can add an Oscar to his overflowing trophy case.

The Nets star, and business partner Rich Kleiman, were executive producers on “Two Distant Strangers,” which won the Academy Award in the Short Film (Live Action) category on Sunday.

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“Big time! Congrats, @TwoDistantFilm,” Durant tweeted after the win.

Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley also was an executive producer, making Durant and Conley the only pro athletes other than the late Kobe Bryant to win Oscars.

“Congrats to @KDTrey5 and the @TwoDistantFilm team for winning Best Live Action Short Film at the #Oscars!” the Nets tweeted.

The Jazz also shared congratulatory messages on social media.

And the Oscar goes to...🏆🎬

Congrats @TwoDistantFilm!! We’re so honored & proud to be part of this project. #Oscarspic.twitter.com/Y268jWXgYO

— Thirty Five Ventures (@35Ventures) April 26, 2021

“Two Distant Strangers” is currently streaming on Netflix. It’s a story about a young black man, played by rapper/actor Joey Bada$$, trying to get home to his dog, only to get stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive a deadly run-in with a police officer.

“This project was brought to our attention very early on in the development process,” Durant told The Post. “When we read the script, me and the whole Thirty Five Ventures team immediately wanted to get involved and help it come to fruition.”

Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free with their Oscars.

Writer and director Travon Free, who was present at the Oscars in Los Angeles and gave an acceptance speech, has talked in the past about how much the involvement of Durant and Conley led to the film’s success and recognition.

“Someone sent us the script over the summer, they needed some funding and support. And as soon as we read the script we believed in it. As soon as we spoke to Travon, we were inspired by it,” Kleiman told The Post. “So we were really just more honoured to have that opportunity.

“We didn’t make the film from that point: They did. But those are the kinds of things where that’s the perfect result of what that part of our business is. It’s not about anything else but could we play a part of having like a great story quality work out there.”

Bryant won his Academy Award in 2018, when his production “Dear Basketball,” earned the Oscar in Best Animated Short Film.

This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission.