7 Classic Basketball Films
Go Wildcats! In case you didn’t hear, last week during the men’s NCAA Basketball championship the Villanova Wildcats defeated the Michigan Wolverines, taking home the title. And on Easter Sunday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish took home the women’s title in a tight squeaker! Congrats, ladies!
There’s really nothing more thrilling than those last few moments of a game: When even if it seems like all is lost? You have to hold your breath a little bit, just knowing that anything can happen to turn the tides. So in celebration of that exhilarating butterflies-in-your-stomach moment, and in congratulations to the winners, Reelgood is celebrating by offering up seven of our favorite basketball movies for your viewing pleasure!
Space Jam — Rent or buy from $2.99 and up.
Looney Tunes and the NBA were both a pretty big deal in the ‘90s, and all of that popularity culminated in Space Jam, a cinematic experience in which Bugs Bunny and co. famously teams up with Michael Jordan and a slew of other NBA greats.
Hoosiers — Cinemax/HBO
This small-town sports drama is often cited as the greatest basketball movie of all time and one of Gene Hackman’s most memorable roles. Loosely based on Milan High School in Milan Indiana, the film follows the new coach (Hackman) as he tries to carry his team to the state championships despite his past issues. If you’ve ever watched Friday Night Lights, you’ll understand what it means when I say that Hoosiers is kind of like the FNL for basketball.,
Love & Basketball — Rent or buy from $2.99 and up.
All’s fair in love and basketball, am I right? Omar Epps and Sanaa Lane play well together in this intense love story that centers around two young aspiring basketball stars who fall in love and have to deal with the fallout.
White Men Can’t Jump — Rent or buy from $2.99 and up.
This 1992 drama by director Ron Shelton was Woody Harrelson’s first notable departure from his role as Woody Boyd in the long-running sitcom Cheers, and it cemented its place in the cinematic landscape as one to watch.
Coach Carter — Rent or buy from $2.99 and up.
Set in 1999 and based on a true story, Coach Carter stars Samuel L. Jackson as the titular character, a head coach who struggles with his team, who fight against the strict rules and regulations he imposes on them in an attempt to make sure they focus not only on improving their game but on improving their studies and their lives.
He Got Game — Rent or buy from $2.99 and up.
Directed by Spike Lee, this father-son drama stars Denzel Washington as a convict who is given one week to convince his resentful son, Jesus, to attend the fictional “Big State” college in order to earn himself a reduced prison sentence. He Got Game also stars Rosario Dawson in one of her earliest roles.
Glory Road — Cinemax/HBO
Based on the men’s 1966 NCAA championships, Glory Road stars Josh Lucas as the head coach of Texas Western College, Don Haskins. While facing discrimination and racism in the climate of 1966, Coach Haskins puts together a team that draws ire from the community his team represents, but just might bring home the championship.
