Plot: Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) is a white basketball hustler who banks on black players underestimating his skills on the court. When he pulls one over on Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes), his victim sees a lucrative opportunity, and they become partners in the con game, plying their trade across the courts of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Billy has to keep one step ahead of mobsters, to whom he owes money, while staying on the good side of his “Jeopardy!”-obsessed, motormouth wife (Rosie Perez).

KBZ’s Take: Some sports films are classics and don’t warrant a remake. White Men Can’t Jump is a perfect example of this notion as the 2023 remake couldn’t come close to capturing the magic of the original.

The original WMCJ had one of the best sports pairings of the subgenre with Billy (Woody Harrelson) and Syd (Wesley Snipes) and featured a notable performance by Rosie Perez as the Jeopardy-loving Gloria. Though the film is not as raunchy as others on our list, it’s still one of the best Ron Shelton-directed sports films of the era that expertly matches adult situations with sports.

Additional Lists: The Funniest Raunchy Sports Comedies #6

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: In 1971, Immaculata College finds a new coach, Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino), to head its women’s basketball team. Right from the start, Cathy faces an uphill battle at the tiny, all-women’s school – with little support from Mother St. John (Ellen Burstyn). There’s no gymnasium on campus, no uniforms, and there might not even be enough players to field a team. With help from a spunky assistant and a booster club of elderly nuns, Cathy sets out to achieve the impossible.

KBZ’s Take: Though the film might seem improbably and predictable, it’s actually based on the true story of Cathy Rush and her coaching efforts that led Immaculate College to the 1972 Women’s National Basketball Championship. It’s also a time capsule into an era where women’s basketball was an afterthought to the growing popularity of men’s basketball.

This is one of Carla Gugino best lead performances (as Cathy Rush). And with some great supporting roles from Ellyn Burstyn and Marley Shelton, it’s one of the better Inspirational Films of the subgenre that many basketball fans should enjoy.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn’t winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.

KBZ’s Take: We mentioned earlier that we were considering films for our list that examined other areas of basketball such as recruiting and Blue Chips is one of the best. This is as much a film about basketball as an indictment of the high-pressure nature of collegiate sports and recruitment efforts.

Like another film on our list, Amateur (2018), this isn’t a film to watch for the tense ending to a big game but rather for the behind-the-scenes drama that develops in putting together a championship team.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.

KBZ’s Take: This is another Biopic on our list based on the true story of Coach Ken Carter’s efforts to instill academic discipline in his team. It’s also one of the best films about basketball.

Though the film focuses on urban youth and basketball like Above the Rim (1994), it has a different focus on the vicious cycle of poverty that envelopes the players when sports are viewed as the only viable option to attain wealth at the expense of education. We rarely deem a film a must-see from any subgenre but Coach Carter is one of those films that is as educational as it is inspirational and should not be missed by any fan of sports films in general.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A disgraced basketball coach is given the chance to coach Los Amigos, a team of players who are intellectually disabled, and soon realizes they just might have what it takes to make it to the national championships.

KBZ’s Take: The plot of Champions might sound familiar as there was a recent American remake of the film in Champions (2023) with Woody Harrelson leading a team of players with disabilities. Though we enjoyed the remake, it couldn’t quite capture the magic and quirky emotional tone of the original Spanish film.

Even if you are averse to subtitles, we would still strongly recommend giving the original Champions a shot as it’s superior to its remake and has one of the best endings of the entire subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad, a down on his luck basketball scout takes it upon himself to bring the phenom to the States without his team’s approval. Against the odds, they have one final shot to prove they have what it takes to make it in the NBA.

KBZ’s Take: Adam Sandler is a popular draw in Sports Comedies with his classic film Happy Gilmore (1996) and other sports-focused comedies in The Waterboy (1998) and The Longest Yard (2005). Unlike those films, Hustle is a drama and one of Sandler’s best dramatic roles as scout and coach Stanley Sugerman and his discovery of undiscovered gem Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez).

This film succeeds on two levels – first as an inspirational tale of an unknown player trying to make it in the NBA and second as one of the best films about the budding relationship between coach and player. Few films are able to properly mix both drama and comedy together in this often-adversarial relationship in sports, but Hustle does it with ease while becoming one of the best feel-good films of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix

Plot: Quincy McCall and Monica Wright grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball.

KBZ’s Take: The 1990s saw a string of basketball-focused sports films including Above the Rim (1994), Blue Chips (1994), Sunset Park (1996), Eddie (1996), The Sixth Man (1997) and He Got Game (1998). At the tail end of this wave was Love & Basketball which masterfully weaved a tale of destined romance amongst the aspirations of two individuals trying to make it to the pinnacle of their sport.

This is one of the rare films of the subgenre that incorporates coming-of-age themes into the sport of basketball where the basketball action is just as exciting to watch as the romantic drama between Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps).

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A basketball player’s father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.

KBZ’s Take: Denzel Washington has had a storied film career especially in the sports subgenre as Boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in The Hurricane (1999) to Coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000). But arguably his best role in the subgenre is as the ex-convict father of one of the top high school basketball prospects in Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen).

Unfortunately, this is a film that bombed at the box office despite a positive critical reception. It’s also a film we didn’t think that highly of when we first saw it but had a change of mind when watching the film again for this article. There was quite a bit of nuance we missed upon our initial viewing, and we better appreciated the dynamic between father and son striving for generational greatness.

This film might not be for every fan of the subgenre, but it is a film we would implore fans to give a second chance to – we’re fairly confident you’ll come away with a greater appreciation for the film like we did.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: After emigrating to Greece from Nigeria, Vera and Charles Antetokounmpo struggled to survive and provide for their five children, while living under the daily threat of deportation. Desperate to obtain Greek citizenship but undermined by a system that blocked them at every turn, the family’s vision, determination and faith lifted them out of obscurity to launch the careers of three NBA champions.

KBZ’s Take: When it comes to sports biopics, we would not only rank Rise as one of the best of this subgenre, but in the Top 5 of the entire sports subgenre. Based on the Antetokounmpo family (and specifically Giannis), it’s a film that overcomes its predictable storyline with a fascinating true story of the challenges faced by a family without a nation to call home.

It’s a film that will toy with your emotions from tears of sadness to tears of joy as it amplifies the message of never giving up to achieve your dream.

Where to Stream / Buy: Disney+

Plot: High school basketball is king in small-town Indiana, and the 1954 Hickory Huskers are all hope and no talent. But their new coach Norman Dale whips the team into shape, while also inciting controversy.

KBZ’s Take: It’s hardly a surprise that Hoosiers is #1 on our list. After almost 40 years, it’s still the best film about basketball and arguably the best sports film overall. It’s a film that set the template for underdog sports stories over the following four decades with its perfect balance of character development and sports action.

The late Gene Hackman (as Coach Normal Dale) is key to the film as principled but no-nonsense coach dealing with an uninspired team and small town politics. But it’s also a film about redemption with the late Dennis Hopper (as Shooter) receiving a well-deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

And there’s the film’s final act which features some of the best basketball action of the subgenre with one of the most crowd-pleasing climaxes in all of sports. They don’t make them like they used to, but it’s no fault of Hoosiers that utilized its classic underdog theme to become one of the best films about basketball (and all of sports).

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon