With the NBA Finals concluded, here are the top five fictional basketball movies to tide you over until next season.
Disclaimer
As great as movies like Hoosiers and Hoop Dreams are, this list will only contain fictional films.
5. Teen Wolf
This '80s classic sees our protagonist Scott Howard (played excellently by Michael J. Fox), a subpar high school basketball player on a subpar team, discover that he comes from a long line of werewolves. A fun film that still holds up – check it out if you haven't seen it. Fun fact: Teen Wolf was the second-highest grossing film of 1985. No. 1? Back to the Future.
4. Space Jam
What Space Jam lacks in acting (Sorry MJ) it makes up for with the Looney Tunes at their loony best and fun cameos by NBA players and Bill Murray showing some decent ball skills. The original Space Jam may not be as flashy as the sequel, but unlike the latest version, you won't feel like you're watching a movie written by a person who Googled, "What do adults think kids like?"
3. Blue Chips
What happens when you put a young Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway in a movie about college basketball? Some great basketball scenes. Blue Chips, a film about the corruption behind college basketball recruiting, also stars Nick Nolte, who does all the heavy lifting as a head coach who makes a deal with the devil. The look on Nolte’s face when he “discovers” Shaq playing basketball in a warehouse alone is worth the price of admission.
2. White Men Can’t Jump
The undeniable chemistry of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson is on full display in this 1992 cult classic about two street ballers hustling their way through basketball courts around L.A. Snipes and Harrelson did all their own basketball scenes and even impressed all the NBA consultants. If you’re in the mood for a great film with stellar basketball scenes, White Men Can’t Jump is a must-watch.>
1. He Got Game
This Spike Lee Joint about a father (Denzel Washington) whose freedom depends on if he can convince his estranged son (Ray Allen) to go to the governor's fictional alma mater instead of another school or the NBA is simply superb. He Got Game is best remembered for Denzel Washington refusing to go by the film script, in which his character would lose to his son, the country's best high school player, 11-0. Instead, Denzel Washington managed to score five honest-to-goodness points on Ray Allen, a legit NBA all-star. Though Ray was probably taking it easy on him.
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