Here are the best basketball movies ever made. Unless otherwise specified, all titles are available to rent and purchase across major digital platforms.
Best basketball movies of all time
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Steve James‘ widely acclaimed, emotional juggernaut of a documentary, filmed over a five-year span, follows two inner-city Chicago students, their families, and the sacrifices made seeking careers in pro basketball–and a better life. Roger Ebert famously called Hoop Dreams the best picture of the 1990s and “one of the best movies about American life” he’d ever seen. It’s lost none of its power in the decades since. Is there a best documentary of all time? If so, what is it? Probably this.
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
One of the best comedies of the ’90s is a sports movie—and a lot more. Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson and Rosie Perez star in Ron Shelton’s hit about L.A. street ballers who become partners in a con. White Men Can’t Jump was a personal favorite film of Stanley Kubrick. A remake is in development.
He Got Game (1998)
An essential Spike Lee Joint stars Denzel Washingtonas an inmate who gets a week of parole in an unusual offer. A somewhat contrived plot is countered by stunning performances (including by real pro baller RayAllen) and a universal message about finding grace and letting go of anger and hate.
Love & Basketball (2000)
The reputation of Gina Prince Bythewood’s brilliant romance has only grown over time. Love & Basketball explores complex themes with humor and passion in a story about childhood friends fall in love while aspiring to be professional athletes. Starring Omar Epps, Sanaa Lathan, Dennis Haysbert and Alfre Woodard.
Space Jam (1996)
The original family fantasy comedy starring Michael Jordanas Michael Jordan remains a nostalgic delight thanks to whiz-bang visual effects and a strong supporting turn from Bill Murray. Bogged down in visual chaos and a cringe-y cynical touch, 2021’s long-awaited sequel failed to recapture the magic, to put it mildly. (It got nominated for four Razzies.)
Hoosiers (1986)
A staple on any list of the best sports films ever made, David Anspaugh’s drama features an all-time great performance by Gene Hackman, who plays a failed college coach who gets a shot at redemption in a small Indiana town. Dennis Hopper received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work here (the same year Blue Velvet was released).
Just Wright (2010)
A breezy, winning chemistry between Queen Latifah and co-star Common drives this rom-com about a physical therapist who falls for a star basketball player. Co-starring Paula Patton, Phylicia Rashad and the incomparable Pam Grier, Just Wright is lightweight but highly affable.
Semi-Pro (2008)
B-ball goes full farce in Kent Alterman’s 1970s-set comedy starring Will Ferrell, André 3000 and Woody Harrelson. Ferrell plays a one-hit wonder singer who buys a terrible basketball team, just as the ABA and NBA are about to merge.
The Way Back (2020)
Ben Affleckgarnered some of the best reviews of his career for a turn as a boozy former high school superstar who returns to coach at his alma mater in this drama from Gavin O’Connor, who also directed the tremendous family sports drama Miracle.
Like Mike (2002)
John Schultz’s family sports comedy stars Lil’ Bow Wow, Jonathan Lipnicki and Morris Chestnut. It’s about an orphan who receives basketball talents after finding a pair of sneakers that once belonged to Michael Jordan.
Teen Wolf (1985)
Released the same year Back to the Future launched Michael J. Fox into the stratosphere, Rod Daniel’s comedy is about a seemingly ordinary teen who discovers he’s a werewolf. A low-budget effort that saw considerable box-office success, Teen Wolf spawned a franchise including a modernized reimagining on MTV.
Air Bud (1997)
Released through Disney’s Buena Vista banner, Charles Martin Smith’s family sports comedy stars Kevin Zegers as a grieving adolescent who forms a bond with a Golden Retriever abandoned by an alcoholic clown (MichaelJeter). Spawned a long-running franchise.
Coach Carter (2005)
Samuel L. Jackson stars in a biographical teen sports drama about a real-life Richmond High School Basketball coach who caused controversy as he sought to see his students excel in academics as well as sports. Featuring an early supporting turn from Channing Tatum.
High Flying Bird (2019)
A chameleonic master of weaving through genres and making it look easy, Steven Soderbergh directed André Holland and Zazie Beetz in an acclaimed drama about a sports agent who must pull off a high-stakes plan in 72 hours during a lockout. High Flying Bird was produced for a modest $2 million, shot entirely on an iPhone 8. Now streaming on Netflix.
Glory Road (2006)
Josh Lucas stars as Texas Western College (now UTEP) coach Don Haskins, who coached the first team with an all-Black starting lineup in NCAA history. Winner of the 2006 ESPY for Best Sports Movie.
Finding Forrester (2000)
Shortly after Good Will Hunting shot him to new levels of critical acclaim, Gus Van Sant helmed this touching coming-of-age picture about a scholar-athlete who develops an unlikely friendship with a reclusive novelist. Starring the diverse talents of Sean Connery, Rob Brown, Anna Paquin, Busta Rhymes, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Pitt and Matt Damon. You’re the man now, dog!
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Based on Jim Carroll‘s autobiographical novel, Scott Kalvert‘s drama stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a high-school athlete who gets hooked on heroin. The drama is pretty conventional; the performance is something quite special, an early sign of things to come.
Above the Rim (1994)
None other than Tupac Shakur starred alongside Duane Martin, Bernie Mac and Marlon Wayans in Booty Call helmer Jeff Pollack’s directorial debut, about a high-school sports star torn between thug life and a potentially bright future. Shot on location in Harlem, this is Shakur’s final theatrical film released in his lifetime, and it clearly shows his talent and promise as an actor.
Uncle Drew (2018)
The greatest motion picture ever inspired by a series of Pepsi Max commercials, Charles Stone III’s comedy stars Kyrie Irving as the title character alongside an impressive cast of sports and comedy stars including Mike Epps, Tiffany Haddish, Nick Kroll and Shaquille O’Neal. Uncle Drew is a road trip movie about septuagenarian former teammates determined to win a tournament.
17 Again (2009)
Zac Efron stars opposite Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Melora Hardin and Sterling Knight in Burr Steers’ hit comedy about a 37-year-old man who becomes his 17-year-old self after a chance accident. 17 Again certainly isn’t on the level of the movies it takes most of its inspiration from (Big and It’s a Wonderful Life), but it’s pleasurable for sure.
Uncut Gems (2019)
Yes, it’s a basketball film. A great one at that. Adam Sandler was, frankly, robbed of an Academy Award nomination here, as the oft-critically-maligned megastar delivers his best performance to date as towering presence Howard Ratner in Ben Safdie and JoshSafdie‘s riveting crime caper about a compulsive gambler who puts everything on the bet of a lifetime.
Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975)
Joseph Manduke’s bildungsroman is loosely based on Ronald Fair’s novel Hog Butcher, and marks the film debut of The Matrix and John Wick star Laurence Fishburne. Cornbread, Earl and Me centers on three youths in an urban neighborhood, and the aftermath of a fatal police shooting.
Fast Break (1979)
Also notable for an early Fishburne performance, Jack Smight’s comedy stars as David Greene (Dave Kaplan), a New York basketball enthusiast who’s offered a coaching gig at a small Nevada college. Low-budget Fast Break is predictable and formulaic, but it turned a modest profit in theaters.
Rebound: The Legend of Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault (1996)
Eriq La Salle’s HBO television film is about the legendary Harlem basketball star who picked himself up after drugs ruined his career. Starring Don Cheadle, James Earl Jones, Forest Whitaker, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and La Salle, Rebound was nominated for multiple NAACP Image Awards.
Celtic Pride (1996)
Nearly a full decade before The 40-Year-Old Virgin shot him to superstardom, Judd Apatow wrote and co-produced this comedy about two passionate Boston Celtics fans, starring Daniel Stern, Dan Aykroyd and Damon Wayans. Celtic Pride saw little commercial or critical success in 1996, though it’s since become a cult classic.
Hustle (2022)
Adam Sandler has once again struck gold for Netflix—in fact, this is his best Netflix movie ever. In We the Animals director Jeremiah Zagar‘s sports film, Sandler plays NBA talent scout Stan Sugerman, who’s risking his reputation and career for a Spanish recruit (real-life Utah Jazz player Juancho Hernangómez) he believes in. With a quiet determination and subtle, deeper humor than you might expect, Sandler plays maybe his most sympathetic character ever, a 180 from his (lamentably Oscar-snubbed) titanic turn as the angel of death in Uncut Gems. Next, check out the most inspiring, uplifting movies on Netflix right now.
