If you are a lover of basketball or great movies, it is time to immerse yourself in the cinematic world of the sport. Many basketball movies have captured the game, compelling stories of ambition, struggle, teamwork, and triumph. Some of the stories are biographical while others are fictional.
We have compiled the best movies on this list using different criteria such as the following:
- Reviews and high ratings
- Box office sales
- Evergreen theme
- Originality
- Good Actors/Good Cinematography
- Awards and nominations
Best and Must-Watch Basketball Movies of All Time
1. The First Slam Dunk (2022)
In ratings, box office, great storyline, and uniqueness among other criteria, The First Slam Dunk remains one of the greatest basketball movies. However, this movie is not like the others on this list since it is an animation.
The First Slam Dunk is a Japanese animated sports film that became the fifth highest-grossing anime film of all time upon its release. It grossed $279 million worldwide.
The movie’s success is not only in fortune since it won several awards. It won the prestigious Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize in 2023.
It won several other awards and nominations at the Fantasia International Film Festival, the 44th UK London Film Critics Circle Awards, the Tokyo Anime Award Festival, and the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
On the renowned review aggregator website, The First Slam Dunk is the only basketball film that has received 100% approval. Also, it has an 8.1/10 rating on the site. Generally, different critics have given positive reviews of the film.
Looking at the story that surrounds the film, The First Slam Dunk is a film about a high school basketball team, focusing on Ryota Miyagi. Ryota and his teammates challenge the inter-high basketball champions.
The story is based on Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk manga series. Some of the notable people that have contributed to the film are:
- Takehiko Inoue’s (director and screenplay writer)
- Toshiyuki Matsui (producer)
The Slam Dunk cast includes:
- Shugo Nakamura (Japanese) Paul Castro Jr. (English) role of Ryota Miyagi
- Jun Kasam (Japanese) Jonah Scott (English) role of Hisashi Mitsui
- Shinichiro Kamio (Japanese) Aleks Le (English) role of Kaede Rukawa
- Subaru Kimura (Japanese) Ben Balmaceda (English) role of Hanamichi Sakuragi
- Kenta Miyake (Japanese) Aaron Goodson (English) role of Takenori Akagi
2. Hoop Dreams (1994)
This Steve James-directed film was originally supposed to be a 30-minute short film. It is a documentary film that has been praised for its originality, plots, and many other details that have given it life.
The film was ranked on the Current TV special 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die and like Love & Basketball, it has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “Culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
The story of documentary film tells the story of basketball legends, William Gates and Arthur Agee. As teenagers and two African Americans, their talents led to their being recruited by a scout from St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, in 1987.
Gates and Agee saw lives of grass to grace – both coming from poor families. In fact, they had to take about 90 minutes to their high school since they lived far from Westchester.
While trying to escape life, they battled the troubles of family, games, and finances. Gates also suffered a knee injury which slowed his performance.
At the end of the documentary film, the men found themselves in different colleges playing and hoping to become NBA players.
Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert called the film the best film of 1994. Ebert described the film as
It’s about life as it is lived in a big American city, and like all great films it makes us think in new ways about the world around us”. He also added that If the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences don’t nominate “Hoop Dreams” as one of the year’s best films, they haven’t done their homework. Those who take the trouble to see this film will recognize its greatness.
3. Hustle (2022)
One critic wrote on IMDB that:
“If you’re not a fan of basketball, you’ll still enjoy this well put-together film. But if you are, then you’ll love this Adam Sandler and LeBron James production. It’s a great and touching story, told perfectly, with outstanding performances… The directing is excellent, as is the cinematography. The almost 2 hour runtime flew by with the great pacing. This film is certainly one of the better sport-dramas I’ve seen, if not the best. I promise you you’ll laugh and you will cry. This is a re-watch at least one more time for sure.
This review seems great enough but it could be the tip of the iceberg among several other positive reviews.
Its greatness has landed it a 93% review from Rotten Tomatoes. On Metacritic, it received 68% generally favorable reviews from 41 critic reviews.
The main character of the film, Adam Sandler has received no fewer than 5 nominations, winning the People’s Choice Awards for The Comedy Movie Star of 2022. The film has gained other nominations in the Screen Actors Guild Awards, AARP Moview for Grownups Awards, Indiana Film Journalists Association, US, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Satellite Awards.
4. Air (2023)
Do you know the origin of Air Jordan? Anyway, Air is a film that tells the story of the beginning of Nike Air Jordan.
The story opens up with how the Nike brand wanted to stop the production of basketball shoes because of low sales. Then, Sonny Vaccaro. A Nike basketball talent scout was saddled with the responsibility to turn things around.
This was where Michael Jordan came in. At the time, Jordan was already in talks with Adidas. Regardless, Deloris, Jordan’s mother later called Vaccaro and gave the condition that Jordan would have a percentage from every Air Jordan sold.
The partnership caused a financial boom for Nike. In the first year, the company made $3 million in sales, earning $162 million.
Air made $90.1 million at the box office over a $70–90 million budget.
The film has received 93% reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and 9/10 ratings on IMDB from 416 Reviews. It has also won several awards and nominations such as the American Cinema Editors, Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, Gotham Awards, Image Awards (NAACP), Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, ICG Publicists Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and San Diego Film Critics Society Awards, and Black Reel Awards.
The film’s main contributors are:
- Ben Affleck (director)
- Alex Convery (writer)
- David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman (producers)
The movie’s cast includes:
- Matt Damon (Sonny Vaccaro)
- Ben Affleck (Phil Knight)
- Jason Bateman (Rob Strasser)
- Chris Messina (David Falk)
- Matthew Maher (Peter Moore)
- Marlon Wayans (George Raveling)
- Jay Mohr (John Fisher)
5. High Flying Bird (2019)
The intellectual virtuosity on display is somehow both ostentatious and casual. The performances — Holland’s in particular, full of sadness, guile, and audacity — feel the same way.
This is the review given by The New York Times. This is by the way one of the many positive reviews that it has received.
Generally, High Flying Bird has received favorable reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has received 78 ratings from 23 critic reviews. Then on Rotten Tomatoes, it has 91% reviews with an average of 7.3/10.
The film brings the story of a basketball agent, Ray Burke who is on the verge of losing his career. In trying to save the day, he made a discovery that could change the game forever.
Contributors to the film are:
- Steven Soderbergh (Director)
- Tarell Alvin McCraney (Writer)
- Joseph Malloch (Producer)
High Flying Bird’s characters are:
- André Holland as Ray Burke
- Zazie Beetz as Sam
- Melvin Gregg as Erick Scott
- Sonja Sohn as Myra
- Zachary Quinto as David Starr
- Kyle MacLachlan as David Seton
- Bill Duke as Spencer
6. Hoosiers (1986)
With 2 59th Academy Award nominations, a Golden Globes Awards nomination, 2 Independent Spirit Awards, and one win at the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, Hoosiers has proven itself as a successful basketball film.
The movie is inspired by the 1954 Indiana state championship, Milan High School. It centers itself around a Hickory, Indiana High School basketball team.
The small school and basketball team struggled to get to the top. Then to make matters worse, the team’s best player, Jimmy Chitwood left the team following the death of the previous coach who also doubled as Jimmy’s surrogate father.
To fill the space of the coach, the school’s principal, Cletus Summers hired Norman Dale. Dale’s coming in as coach was tough at first and the townspeople even voted for him to be out.
Things turned the other way when Jimmy returned to the team but wanted Dale to continue as its coach.
Different twists unfolded but the highlight was when the school’s team won the state championship despite its disadvantages in size of players, experience, and numerous other odds.
The film has received a 91% from aggregator, Rotten Tomato. It has also been praised for the details of its characters, for staying small, has repeatedly been called “one of the best sports movies”, and was ranked 13 by the American Film Institute on its 100 Years… 100 Cheers list of Most Inspirational films.
Hoosiers realized $28.6 million at the box office against a 6 million budget.
The key contributors to the film are:
- David Anspaugh (director)
- Angelo Pizzo (writer)
- Carter De Haven and Angelo Pizzo (producers)
Some cast members of Hoosiers are:
- Gene Hackman (Norman Dale)
- Barbara Hershey (Myra Fleener)
- Dennis Hopper (Shooter Flatch)
- Sheb Wooley (Cletus Summers)
- Maris Valainis (Jimmy Chitwood)
- David Neidorf (Everett Flatch)
- Brad Long (Buddy Walker)
- Steve Hollar (Rade Butcher)
7. Coach Carter (2005)
One of the best basketball movies is Coach Carter – a film biographical sports drama film that tells the story of basketball coach Ken Carter.
The 2005 film narrates how Carter took a career on Richmond High School’s basketball team. He was interested in their growth as basketballers and as students, pushing them to excel even when they were not willing.
He brought discipline to them and gave them the options of attending classes and making good grades while also putting their basketball lives in front or leaving his team. There were many odds as he battled to give the boys options that would lead to a good future for them.
Along the line, they won the Bay Hill holiday tournament but drifted in their discipline. In the end, they reached the State Quarterfinals but lost by 2 points. However, Coach Carter was proud of the boys.
The film prides itself on a box office gross of $76.7 million over a production budget of $30 million.
Coach Carter became a loved film and has received positive reviews.
According to critic, Roger Ebert praised Samuel L. Jackson for his Coach Carter role, describing it as:
“The usual big speeches assigned to all coaches in all sports movies, and delivers on them, big time. His passion makes familiar scenes feel new.”
Some major characters in the film are
- Samuel L. Jackson (Coach Ken Carter)
- Robert Ri’chard (Damien Carter)
- Rob Brown (Kenyon Stone)
- Ashanti (Kyra)
- Debbi Morgan (Tonya Carter)
- Vincent Laresca (Renny)
- Rick Gonzalez (Timo Cruz)
8. The Heart of The Game (2005)
This documentary film which is rated PG-13 is one of the best basketball movies to watch. This film is one of the few basketball films that focus on women’s basketball rather than men’s.
It receives many positive reviews. The late critic Roger Ebert calls the film
“The Heart of the Game” has the potential, like “Hoop Dreams,” to win a large audience.
It is ranked in the top list of basketball films and has received 87% reviews on the movie aggregate website.
Generally, critics have attested that the film can easily win your heart with their unusual humanity and dynamism.
2 years after the release of the film, it received a Billie Award in Entertainment (2007). It also received nominations at the Writers Guild of America, USA; Black Reel Awards, and St. Louis Film Critics Association, US.
The film is a documentary film about the Roosevelt Roughriders girls’ basketball team. In the film, the girls are faced with different troubles in life while also playing the game that they love. One deals with the trouble of rape while another became pregnant and fears that her stay on the team will end.
There are pushes from different places for the pregnant player Darnellia Russell to not play again. However, the court granted her the right to play. She led her team to their first state championship and received the honor of Player of the Year.
People who have made the films are:
- Ward Serrill (director, writer, and producer)
Some cast members are:
- Bill Resler
- Darnellia Russell
- Joyce Walker
- Ludacris
See Also: 10 Incredible Tennis Movies For Lovers Of Tennis
9. Love & Basketball (2000)
This 2000-released film remains one of the best basketball films of all time. It is central to the themes of love and basketball.
The movie featured Sanaa Lathan (Monica Wright) and Omar Epps (Quincy McCall) as main characters who are both lovers of football, lived as neighbors, and fell in love.
The story of the film journey through the different stages of the lives of Quincy and Monica. It started from their childhood to when they became high school students, later college, and later their professional and marital lives.
Love and Basketball is a movie filled with twists, emotions, and basketball. At first, Monica and Quincy fell in love as kids but Quincy found love in Shawnee (Gabrielle Union) while in high school. Monica remained on the side, hoping her first love would return to her.
Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out as she wanted as Quincy became engaged to Kyra (Tyra Banks).
Fate led them to each other as Quincy left his fiancée to be with Monica. They married, had a daughter, and pursued their careers in basketball.
Definitely, the movie wraps itself in a good story and it was interestingly the directorial debut of Gina Prince-Bythewood (also the writer of the film).
Despite this, the film did not make so much of a great impression at the box office. It grossed $27.7 million on a $14-$20 million budget.
Regardless of the commercial setback, Love and Basketball has received many positive reviews.
It also won not less than 29 nominations. Some of the renowned awards and nominations such as BET Awards, Humanitas Prize, Image Awards (NAACP), Film Independent Spirit Awards, and Teen Choice Awards.
One of the movie’s highlights is being selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It received this for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
The main contributors to the film are:
- Gina Prince-Bythewood (director and writer)
- Spike Lee and Sam Kitt (Producers)
The movie’s cast includes
- Omar Epps (Quincy McCall)
- Sanaa Lathan (Monica Wright-McCall)
- Christine Dunford (Coach Davis)
- Erika Ringor (Sidra O’Neal)
- Regina Hall (Lena Wright, Monica’s sister)
- Boris Kodjoe (Jason)
- Gabrielle Union (Shawnee)
- Monica Calhoun (Kerry)
10. He Got Game (1998)
This film has received several critical reviews. It has also received numerous nominations such as 4 Acapulco Black Film Festival, 3 Image Awards (NAACP) nominations, and MTV Movie and TV Awards.
Looking at the story, the movie is not a typical basketball film. Rather than a story of a basketball team as in other basketball films, the film focuses on a basketball player, Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen), and his father Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington).
Jake accidentally killed his wife and was forced to spend a jail term. While serving, he got an offer to be out to make his son sign with Big State. In exchange, Jake’s jail term will be released.
Jesus did not agree to play in the tournament and Jake’s term was not shortened. Regardless, he was able to recreate a relationship with his son and became free of the burden in his heart.
Jesus also lived his dream as a basketball player.
The beauty of this film made Lawrence Ware, a former teaching assistant professor call it a film that “was about so much more than basketball.”
He Got Me may have touched on some very important aspects of basketball and even gained numerous recognitions but it flopped at the box office. It was produced on a $25 million budget but grossed 22.4 million.
The producer and director of He Got Me are:
- Spike Lee (writer and director)
- Jon Kilk and Spike Lee (producers)
The film stars the likes of the following:
- Denzel Washington (Jake Shuttlesworth)
- Ray Allen (Jesus Shuttlesworth)
- Milla Jovovich (Dakota Barns)
- John Turturro (Coach Billy Sunday)
- Rosario Dawson (Lala Bonilla)
- Jim Brown (Spivey)
- Joseph Lyle Taylor (Crudup)
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