Updated 6/4/23
It's that time of year again. But...there are no hardwood games to be found anywhere. Both the NBA and March Madness has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. So stay safe, stay home and check out one of these b-ball movies to get you through.
18. Kobe Doin' Work
After an 11-year break from Tinseltown, Bryant teamed up with legendary director Spike Lee, who filmed one of his games for the feature Kobe Doin' Work. Lee was granted unprecedented access, which resulted in both candid commentary and unique perspectives of the hard court.
17. Untold: Malice at the Palace
16. Hustle
Frustrated NBA scout and former Division I guard Stanley Sugerman makes an amazing find during a trip to Spain -- a 6'9" phenom, Bo Cruz, whom no one else in the league has ever heard of. When the owner of his team, the Philadelphia 76ers, passes, Sugerman begins coaching Cruz himself in the hopes that he can get him in the Association and himself in his dream job -- NBA coach.
14. Shooting Stars
12. He Got Game
Barring documentaries, Denzel Washington and Spike Lee's third collaboration is probably the best basketball movie of all time. Lee's examination of the pressures heaped onto an inner-city hoops phenom includes a look at golddiggers, groupies, fanatic boosters, crooked agents, desperate coaches, greedy family members and everything in between -- all targeting a teenager from an as-yet ungentrified section of Brooklyn.
Perfectly timed for b-ball fans, He Got Game debuted a week after the start of the '98 NBA playoffs. Michael Jordan and his Bulls would go on to win the NBA championship for the final time just six weeks later
Perfectly timed for b-ball fans, He Got Game debuted a week after the start of the '98 NBA playoffs. Michael Jordan and his Bulls would go on to win the NBA championship for the final time just six weeks later
11. The Redeem Team
After falling from the precipitous highs of the vaunted Dream Team to winning bronze, the USA Men's Basketball team must mount an historic comeback in order to gain their standing in the world. Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Deron Williams, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosch, Coach K and the late, great Kobe Bryant join forces in an effort to retake the full-court crown.
10. NYC Point G*ds
Coaches and New Yorkers discuss Rod Strickland, Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury, Kenny Smith, Rafer Alston, Kareem Reid, Pearl Washington, Tiny Archibald, Mark Jackson and other Big Apple ball-handlers in this in-depth look at the city's influence on their most-renowned point guards.
8. The Fab 5
7. No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
Former NBA great Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf recounts his journey from high school phenom to NCAA superstar to being blackballed from professional basketball in the U.S. and all of his political activism and struggles with Tourette's Syndrome in between. Before Kaepernick knelt, Abdul-Rauf sat.
5. The Carter Effect
4. The Best of Enemies
ESPN's 30 for 30 series continues to demonstrate the gift of presenting compelling sports-based stories whose appeal reaches far beyond sports fans. Like last year's OJ: Made in America, Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies illustrates how America's racial friction easily worms its way into the lives of professional athletes.
But its not all gloom and socio-politics. Best of Enemies sheds light onto the NBA's longest-running rivalry and reveals how it pit two legendary players and two cities with vastly different and distinct cultural identities against one another. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Pat Riley and Jerry West are among the key figures who give their take on the matchup that has lasted for over four decades.
3. This Magic Moment
"What does this movie say about the human condition?" "Why is it so high on the list?" Because it's one of the most fun sports movies of all time. Chill out. Iron Man and Captain America? Nah, gimme Shaq and Penny. An hour and a half of broken backboards and Lil' Penny? I'll take it. This is Shaq and Kobe before Shaq ever met Kobe.
2. She Ball
When former gangbanger Avery meets sheltered Shelby, he has no interest in getting to know her. But they do have a few things in common: a fondness for Avery's daughter, Magic; basketball skills; and love for his sister, Makeda -- Shelby's former college teammate, who took her in when she was homeless.
1. Love & Basketball
When Quincy and Monica meet as kids, they have no idea that their shared love of basketball will last -- and link them -- for years. Though their paths in life eventually diverge, their love for the game and each other remains constant.
Originally Posted 3/10/20
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