Here are the top 5 NBA/basketball movies ever
You might know us better as sofa surfers, but the Film Daily crew have been known to exercise (occasionally). We love us some basketball and we can often be seen cheering on our home team the LA Lakers courtside at Crypto.com Arena.
Our love of bingewatching tops any sporting inclination though, and we love to watch NBA at home on our couches while also doing NBA betting online. If you love the sofa more than the court, we’ve come up with this handy list of the top five NBA movies ever made. Enjoy watching these inside while wearing the jersey of your favorite team – we will be.
He Got Game
Spike Lee is one of our faves, and He Got Game is one of his most classic movies. The story centers around Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen), who is an in-demand high school basketball prospect and his father Jake (Denzel Washington), who is serving jail time and is given one week to convince his son to attend the alma mater of the state governor in exchange for a shortened prison sentence.
We won’t spoil the ending, but this movie is a great choice for anyone who understands that basketball is all about community and family as well as sport.
Hoop Dreams
This incredible documentary foregrounds two South Side Chicago teenagers. No matter what the cost is, Arthur Agee and William Gates are going to work to make it big in basketball.
This movie follows the human side of chasing the basketball dream. Both Gates and Agee face many struggles along the way: poor grades, family addictions, family deaths, and serious injuries. They work hard to reach their goals both on the court and off. The film still ranks number two on Rotten Tomatoes’ basketball movies list, and Agee and Gates dedicated a Hoop Dreams court in Garfield Park in 2024.
Love and Basketball
Love and Basketball shows us that we can form deep relationships with people who share the commonality of a shared love. This beautifully told story of a couple shooting for their dreams while striving for excellence is a romantic take on how shared passions and experience can conquer all in the end. It’s also a great representation of how difficult a college basketball player’s life can be. The film was added to the National Film Registry, and its 25th anniversary brought director Gina Prince-Bythewood and the cast together for celebratory screenings.
Space Jam
Michael Jordan, Danny DeVito, Bill Murray, and the Looney Tunes competing in the biggest basketball game the universe has ever witnessed? Sold.
No NBA movie list could be complete without this gem. Space Jam is a fun frolic across the courts when Michael Jordan, Muggsy Bogues, Shawn Bradley, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, and more epic players come face to face with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes crew. The 2021 sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy brought LeBron James into the mix with the same animated squad.
White Men Can't Jump
White Men Can't Jump is a great comedy that falls into the “hustle” genre. Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) and Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes) are an unlikely pair of ballers that form a tag team to hustle unsuspecting victims. If you enjoy a good bromance, like a laugh, and love con movies, this is the perfect Sunday afternoon watch for you. The 2023 remake starring Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls moved the streetball action to Los Angeles and landed on Hulu.
Hustle
Adam Sandler plays a down-on-his-luck NBA scout who spots an overlooked prospect and bets everything on one last shot. The film earned a 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and keeps the focus on scouting grind and underdog prospects.
Air
Ben Affleck directed this look at the 1984 negotiations that created the Air Jordan brand. The story pulls back the curtain on the business side of basketball and how one shoe deal changed the entire sports marketing game.
The First Slam Dunk
This 2022 anime adaptation of the beloved manga currently sits at the top of Rotten Tomatoes’ basketball movie rankings with a perfect 100 percent Tomatometer score. It brings an international perspective to the sport through tight, high-stakes tournament action.
Rise
The Disney+ film follows the Antetokounmpo brothers as they move from Greece to Milwaukee and chase NBA dreams together. It marks the first time three brothers have all become NBA champions, extending the aspirational family stories already on this list.
These titles keep the conversation going about what makes basketball cinema stick. Some lean on family bonds, others on pure hustle, and a few mix both. Whether you are rewatching the classics or catching the newer entries, the court remains the same stage for stories that travel far beyond the hardwood.
