The NBA Finals are just around the corner, and these games are getting heated. There’s drama, suspense, and plenty of violence in the Boston/Orlando series. It is no surprise that this exact atmosphere is so often portrayed in movies. Basketball is an emotional and entertaining sport, so it makes sense that people would like movies about basketball. Here are some of the best basketball movies ever to get you ready for the NBA Finals.
Space Jam
When it comes to the pure enjoyability of a movie, no basketball movie beats Space Jam. Michael Jordan teams up with Bugs Bunny and the gang to play a race of aliens in the most important game in history. It also has Charles Barkley and Muggsy Bogues as guys who are terrible at basketball, a hot lady bunny, and the guy who got venom in the eye in Jurassic Park as a substitute player. Basically this all adds up to basketball movie greatness.
Hoosiers
Hoosiers is one of the most inspirational movies of all time. It is the classic underdog story with Gene Hackman coaching his team to the big game, despite the fact everyone associated with the team could be considered dysfunctional. Gene Hackman is reminiscent of legendary coach Bobby Knight with his hair-trigger temper, history of smacking players and strict rules.
White Men Can’t Jump
Woody Harrelson plays a basketball hustler in this great movie, and goes up against Wesley Snipes. Harrelson uses the fact that most people don’t think white guys can be that good at basketball against them, and ends up taking their money on the court. Unfortunately he can’t dunk. If you read the title, you will realize that is because white men can’t jump, and thus can’t reach the rim. White Men Can’t Jump asks the age old question is friendship and a large gambling debt to the mob enough motivation to complete a successful alley oop? The answer is yes.
Coach Carter
Pretty much any movie with Samuel L. Jackson is entertaining. The man just has some sort of super interesting aura about him. Coach Carter didn’t just rely on Samuel L. Jackson though, as it was a truly entertaining movie. It differed from many sports movies in that it had an extremely strong message that sports aren’t everything in life. The pivotal point in the movie is when the team’s grade point average drops and Coach Carter locks them out of the gym until they can get their grades up. Of course this raises the ire of the parents and team supporters, but Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t give a damn. He does what he wants.
Blue Chips
Blue Chips focused on the dark side of college basketball, specifically what kind of incentives star players were given to play for their schools. This involved cars and money being given to players, giving their parents jobs and houses, anything was fair game when it came to luring the best players to the school. The story was actually pretty interesting, but it is clear that Nick Nolte is the only real actor in the movie. With that said, it is hilarious to see a young Shaquille O’Neal acting, he ups the entertainment factor of Blue Chips by a million.
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