(Photo by Sony Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection. GOAT)
59 Best Basketball Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer
The latest:GOAT, starring real-life basketball superstar Steph Curry, releases in theaters this weekend!
Our starting lineup for the best basketball movies of all time includes inspiring documentaries (Hoop Dreams), legendary underdog tales (Hoosiers), 1990s streetball classics (He Got Game, White Men Can’t Jump), and behind-the-scenes stories (High-Flying Bird) that reveal the business beyond the ball. The top 10 basketball movies are all Certified Fresh, meaning they were all slam dunks with critics.
Hoop Dreams and The Heart of the Game are both documentaries, following high schoolers (the former set in Chicago, the latter featuring an all-girls team in Seattle) as they pursue their ambition on the court. Hustleand The Way Back are comeback stories both on and off screen: Adam Sandler and Ben Affleck get to show off their dramatic chops as coaches after releasing a string of movies not taken seriously by critics. Affleck has a particular affection for basketball, as he released the crowd-pleasing Air in 2023. Air is similar to High-Flying Bird in that they both delve into some of the most legendary business deals in professional basketball.
Critics Consensus: A heart-pumping, breathtaking, wonderfully crafted manga adaptation, The First Slam Dunk shoots and scores.
Synopsis: Shohoku's "speedster" and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while [More]
Critics Consensus: One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of all time, Hoop Dreams is a rich, complex, heartbreaking, and ultimately deeply rewarding film that uses high school hoops as a jumping-off point to explore issues of race, class, and education in modern America.
Synopsis: Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. [More]
Critics Consensus:Hustle doesn't have any fancy moves, but it doesn't need them -- Adam Sandler's everyman charm makes this easy layup fun to watch.
Synopsis: Stanley Sugerman's (Adam Sandler) love for basketball is unparalleled, but the travel weary Philadelphia 76ers scout who has higher ambitions [More]
Critics Consensus: A fact-based drama that no one will dunk on, Air aims to dramatize events that changed the sports world forever -- and hits almost nothing but net.
Synopsis: From award-winning director Ben Affleck, AIR reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball [More]
Critics Consensus:High Flying Bird takes a thoughtful and engrossing look at professional sports that sees Steven Soderbergh continuing to test the limits of new filmmaking technology.
Synopsis: A sports agent pitches a controversial business opportunity to a rookie basketball player during a lockout. [More]
Critics Consensus: It may adhere to the sports underdog formula, but Hoosiers has been made with such loving craft, and features such excellent performances, that it's hard to resist.
Synopsis: Failed college coach Norman Dale gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to direct the basketball program at [More]
Critics Consensus: This group of high school girls and their eccentric basketball coach easily win your heart with their unusual humanity and dynamism.
Synopsis: Filmed over a period of seven years, director Ward Serrill profiles Bill Resler, a university professor who coaches a basketball [More]
Critics Consensus:The Way Back's occasionally frustrating treatment of a formulaic story is often outweighed by Ben Affleck's outstanding work in the central role.
Synopsis: Jack Cunningham was a high school basketball superstar who suddenly walked away from the game for unknown reasons. Years later, [More]
Critics Consensus: Though not without its flaws, He Got Game finds Spike Lee near the top of his game, combining trenchant commentary with his signature visuals and a strong performance from Denzel Washington.
Synopsis: Jake Shuttleworth (Denzel Washington) has spent the last six years in prison after accidentally killing his wife during a violent [More]
Critics Consensus: Despite the predictability of its plot and its similarity to Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester has an honest, solid feel to it and good rapport between Connery and Brown.
Synopsis: A unique relationship develops between an eccentric, reclusive novelist and a young, amazingly gifted scholar-athlete. After the novelist discovers that [More]
Critics Consensus: Putting an Indigenous spin on the classic sports movie formula, Rez Ball dominates the court with its authentic feel for culture and setting.
Synopsis: In the heart of Chuska, New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team rich in Native American heritage, [More]
Critics Consensus: Shoots and scores, dunking us into the underdog life of Stephen Curry with a smooth swish.
Synopsis: "Stephen Curry: Underrated" is the remarkable coming-of-age story of one of the most influential, dynamic and unexpected players in the [More]
Critics Consensus: Dry and upbeat, this story of overachieving academics struggling as underdog athletes is a winner (even if their basketball team isn't).
Synopsis: The men's basketball team at Caltech attempts to break a 21-year losing streak in the final game. [More]
Synopsis: From Sony Pictures Animation, the studio behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, comes GOAT, an original action-comedy set in an all-animal [More]
Critics Consensus: Though the film may not delve as deep as some would prefer, More Than a Game is an inspiring documentary featuring likable youngsters, a positive message, and some exciting in-game footage.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Kristopher Belman chronicles the early career of basketball superstar LeBron James. James and four other talented teammates were a [More]
Critics Consensus: This sports bio documentary is given a few fresh angles, including culture clash issues, and the friendship that develops between Yao and his interpreter.
Synopsis: This documentary chronicles Yao Ming's first year of playing in the National Basketball Association. When Ming signs with the Houston [More]
Critics Consensus:Linsanity offers a compelling enough look at its basketball star subject for fans and curious viewers, even if it never really delves below the surface.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Evan Jackson Leong chronicles the rise of basketball star Jeremy Lin, the first man of Chinese/Taiwanese descent to play [More]
Critics Consensus: Even though it's based on a true story, Coach Carter is pretty formulaic stuff, but it's effective and energetic, thanks to a strong central performance from Samuel L. Jackson.
Synopsis: In 1999, Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) returns to his old high school in Richmond, California, to get the basketball [More]
Critics Consensus: Kyrie Irving's crossover to comedy is amiable enough to score with basketball fans, but Uncle Drew is held back by formulaic plotting and too much product placement.
Synopsis: After draining his life savings to enter a team in the Rucker Classic street ball tournament in Harlem, Dax is [More]
Critics Consensus: Although its apparent attempts to be uplifting can often come across as patronizing, Champions is an amiable enough comedy with some seriously talented stars.
Synopsis: Woody Harrelson stars in the hilarious and heartwarming story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of [More]
Critics Consensus: A pleasant and innocuous diversion for kids, but adults may have trouble sitting through the movie's predictable plotlines and schmaltz.
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old, hoops-loving Calvin Cambridge has a dream: to be a famous basketball player -- to mix it up among the [More]
Critics Consensus: Although Shooting Stars isn't without its engaging moments, this dramatized look back at LeBron James' early years is less entertaining than simply watching him play.
Synopsis: Shooting Stars is set in the 1990s, where a young LeBron James (Marquis "Mookie" Cook) and his three best friends [More]
Critics Consensus:Air Bud's wacky concept isn't entirely enough to fill a feature-length film, but this rather silly family-friendly outing is partly redeemed by its extremely charming title character.
Synopsis: Diffident in the wake of his father's death, high schooler Josh (Kevin Zegers) struggles to adapt to his new home [More]
Critics Consensus: Well-intentioned but formulaic, Just Wright has winning leads but can't overcome its preponderance of cliches.
Synopsis: Physical therapist Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) lands the dream job of working with basketball superstar Scott McKnight (Common). All goes [More]
Critics Consensus: In spite of its young leading man's heroic efforts to hold it all together, a muddled message prevents The Basketball Diaries from compelling as a cautionary tale.
Synopsis: Jim Carroll (Leonardo DiCaprio) is consumed by his life as a high school basketball star. Pressured by a wicked coach [More]
Critics Consensus: While it's no slam dunk, Space Jam's silly, Looney Toons-laden slapstick and vivid animation will leave younger viewers satisfied -- though accompanying adults may be more annoyed than entertained.
Synopsis: Swackhammer (Danny DeVito), an evil alien theme park owner, needs a new attraction at Moron Mountain. When his gang, the [More]
Critics Consensus:Boogie misses its shot with a contrived plot and uneven tone.
Synopsis: From acclaimed writer, producer and restaurateur Eddie Huang comes his directorial debut BOOGIE, the coming-of-age story of Alfred "Boogie" Chin, [More]
Critics Consensus: Director William Friedkin is working with a strong cast, but an excess of sentimentality renders this basketball drama more than a little flat.
Synopsis: Pete Bell (Nick Nolte) is a college basketball coach who has to improve his team's standing -- by any means [More]
Critics Consensus: Despite LeBron James' best efforts to make a winning team out of the Tune Squad, Space Jam: A New Legacy trades the zany, meta humor of its predecessor for a shameless, tired exercise in IP-driven branding.
Synopsis: When LeBron James and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must [More]
Critics Consensus: Whoopi Goldberg may demonstrate that she can coach a basketball team with the best of them, but not even she can whip this dreary script into shape.
Synopsis: Chauffeur Edwina "Eddie" Franklin (Whoopi Goldberg) is fanatical about the New York Knicks basketball team. After she wins a contest [More]
Critics Consensus: Rebound ought to entertain its target audience, but there's nothing here for those who've seen The Bad News Bears or its countless derivatives.
Synopsis: Roy McCormick (Martin Lawrence) is a college basketball coach more famous for his temper than for his coaching ability. After [More]
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