Here Are The 10 BEST Basketball Movies You Can Stream Right This Second
1. He Got Game - 90/100 - Hulu, Paramount+
A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
A lot of movies have tried to use real life athletes and most of them were less than great. Ray Allen in 'He Got Game', though, may be the single best example of it really working. Denzel was obviously the true star and absolutely crushed this movie.
2. White Men Can't Jump - 88/100 - Hulu:
Billy Hoyle and Sidney Deane are an unlikely pair of basketball hustlers. They team up to con their way across the courts of Los Angeles, playing a game that's fast dangerous - and funny.
Beyond being a really solid comedy with good dramatic roots, it is also like a time capsule for 90s fashion.
3. Love and Basketball - 82/100 - HBO Max
A young African-American couple navigates the tricky paths of romance and athletics in this drama. Quincy McCall and Monica Wright grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. They've followed the game all their lives and have no small amount of talent on the court. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball.
It's a pretty damn good romance that is probably the most unique on this list. Something I didn't realize until looking at the cast list is how many big names had smaller roles in the movie. Tyra Banks was in it?? Forgot about that.
4. Coach Carter - 81/100 - Netflix
Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.
This was one of the ultimate TV cart movies for me in high school. We had one sub that must have had the DVD in his daily carry because he played it literally every class he subbed.
5. Glory Road - 69/100 - Disney+
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
The basketball answer to Remember the Titans doesn't have quite the same juice, but it is a solid watch nonetheless. Shoutout UTEP aka the favorite team of Jared Fogel.
6. Boogie - 66/100 - HBO Max
Alfred “Boogie” Chin is a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA. While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must find a way to navigate a new girlfriend, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.
This is a newer movie that is way more dramatic than a lot of these other options. It left a bit to be desired, but it's really well shot/acted and is by far the most contemporary choice on the list.
7. Space Jam - 50/100 - HBO Max
Swackhammer, an evil alien theme park owner, needs a new attraction at Moron Mountain. When his gang, the Nerdlucks, heads to Earth to kidnap Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes, Bugs challenges them to a basketball game to determine their fate. The aliens agree, but they steal the powers of NBA basketball players, including Larry Bird and Charles Barkley -- so Bugs gets some help from superstar Michael Jordan.
The inspiration for every dude deciding what to wear to a music festival, this still hits all the nostalgia notes you love. It's also undoubtedly better than the sequel, which felt like a movie that was created by a Warner Brothers AI.
8. Blue Chips - 46/100 - Hulu, paramount+
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.
This may be the worst performance of Shaq's career, but it holds a soft spot in my heart. Maybe only because I love this speech.
9. Semi-Pro - 41/100 - HBO Max
Jackie Moon is the owner, promoter, coach, and star player of the Flint Michigan Tropics of the American Basketball Association (ABA). In 1976 before the ABA collapses, the National Basketball Association (NBA) plans to merge with the best teams of the ABA at the end of the season. Only the top four teams will make the move and the worst teams will fold. The Tropics are the worst team in the league and if they want to make it to the NBA, Jackie Moon must rally his team and start winning. The only problem is the fact that Jackie Moon is not really the coach and star basketball player he thinks he is. To keep his team from oblivion and leave his mark in the city, Jackie Moon must inspire his team to win fourth place in the playoffs.
It's not on the same level as the other Will Ferrell movies from that stretch, but it is still funny.
10. Hoosiers - ∞ /100 - Roku(with ads)
Jackie Moon is the owner, promoter, coach, and star player of the Flint Michigan Tropics of the American Basketball Association (ABA). In 1976 before the ABA collapses, the National Basketball Association (NBA) plans to merge with the best teams of the ABA at the end of the season. Only the top four teams will make the move and the worst teams will fold. The Tropics are the worst team in the league and if they want to make it to the NBA, Jackie Moon must rally his team and start winning. The only problem is the fact that Jackie Moon is not really the coach and star basketball player he thinks he is. To keep his team from oblivion and leave his mark in the city, Jackie Moon must inspire his team to win fourth place in the playoffs.
It's streaming WITH ADS, but I had to include it since it is obviously the best basketball movie of all time.
Make sure to check out this last episode of The Bracket. I think it's the most I've laughed at anything in my damn life thanks to Steven Cheah.