Sports and movies often go hand in hand. Just think about it. The drama. The underlying, underdog narratives. The incredible stakes. All of the important elements of good storytelling are present in most any sports competition, and Hollywood has known it for years. As a result, telling the inspirational stories of athletes winning against the odds, persevering through unbelievable obstacles, or learning what it means to be part of a team remains like catnip to actors, screenwriters, and directors today, as it has been for generations past. Because of that, we’ve been blessed with a number of truly unforgettable sports flicks over the past few decades alone. Obviously, big names like Raging Bull and Rocky will always have a place in our hearts, along with other must-see hits like Hoosiers and Rudy.
But basketball movies will always hold a special place on our list of all-time great sports films. Take, for instance, Blue Chips. Released on February 18, 1994, Blue Chips was, at the time, the latest entry to carry on a proud tradition of basketball films in America, and has found its way into the movie collections of die-hard sports fans and sports movie buffs alike. Starring Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, and Nick Nolte, the flick set a standard for star power that few others have ever been able to touch, combining actual sports heroes with Hollywood royalty. Now, we’ve named the movie as one of our Best Basketball Movies of All Time, along with some other can’t-miss classics. Some of those can-t miss classics include Space Jam and White Men Can’t Jump, which now have sequels and spinoffs to the original. Hustle is the latest basketball movie to hit the market featuring the great Adam Sandler. The movie features several NBA players as characters including Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, Juancho Hernangomez, Boban Marjanović, Tobias Harris, and many more. And if you haven’t watched Cornbread, Earl, and Me, how can you even call yourself a basketball fan? Check out our picks and get to streaming. There’s really no excuse for you not to be able to quote at least one line from each of these flicks.