Kobe Bryant was honored with an Academy Award Sunday night, and he used the stage to discuss the recent controversy of players discussing social issues.

"I mean, as basketball players, we're really supposed to shut up and dribble," he said during his acceptance speech, per CBS News. "I'm glad we do a little bit more than that."

Bryant and Glen Keane won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short for the film Dear Basketball.

ABC News captured the former NBA star's speech:

Bryant's opening comments reference the recent controversy between Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James and Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

After James and Kevin Durant discussed a variety of social topics, as well as their opinions on President Donald Trump for Uninterrupted, Ingraham said that players should "shut up and dribble," via Sports Illustrated.

James supported his former rival after winning the award:

Bryant refuted this premise during his acceptance speech, showing the use of his voice for creative purposes.

His film, Dear Basketball, described his love for the game from his youth playing days until the end of his 20-year NBA career.