55 Best Basketball Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

55 Best Basketball Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

TAGGED AS: basketball, movies (Photo by Peacock/courtesy Everett Collection) 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...

TAGGED AS: basketball, movies (Photo by Peacock/courtesy Everett Collection) 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. Hustle and 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. Love Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, blends romance and sports together, tracking a young athlete’s growth across high school, college and beyond. From the same year as Love Basketball, 2000’s Finding Forrester sees director Gus Van Sant working the same gameplan that made Good Will Hunting a success. And He Got Game and White Men Can’t Jump hook in that ’90s edge, with Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Woody Harrelson all performing at the height of their powers.
Recently, we’ve added the Ben Affleck-directed and starrer Air (we call this one a shoe-in), Disney family drama Chang Can Dunk, and the White Men Can’t Jump remake. —Alex Vo #1 Adjusted Score: 101232% 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] #2 Adjusted Score: 100204% 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] #3 Adjusted Score: 110972% 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] #4 Adjusted Score: 94534% 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 (Gene Hackman) gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to direct the basketball... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 98276% 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] #6 Adjusted Score: 90050% Critics Consensus: This group of high school girls and their...