8 Best Basketball Movies to Watch for a Slam-Dunk Viewing Experience

What To Watch
8 Basketball Movies to Watch for a Slam-Dunk Viewing Experience
Hit the court from your couch.
By Derek Lawrence
March 15, 2026

Watching a movie about basketball can be as satisfying as watching the game itself. Whether streaming an exhilarating sports drama or an intriguing sports documentary, you’ll laugh, cry, cheer — sometimes all at the same time — and, depending on how invested you are, you might even break a sweat like the players on-screen.

If you’re looking to sit courtside between March Madness games and while awaiting the NBA Playoffs, we’re here with an assist — and some thrilling cinematic competition. These movies range from classic underdog tales to incisive documentaries, and feature past and present players including LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Sue Bird, Anthony Edwards, Dwyane Wade, Diana Taurasi, Steph Curry, and more.

ESPN’s documentary film series includes this movie about the mid-’90s rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks — a feud that was intensified by NBA legend Reggie Miller. The shooting guard became known as “The Garden's Greatest Villain” after helping his fellow Pacers win the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals (plus engaging in some memorable back-and-forths with director and famously die-hard Knicks fan Spike Lee.) Keep the game going with 30 for 30: This Magic Moment, 30 for 30: Bad Boys, 30 for 30: Once Brothers, and 30 for 30: Sole Man.

30 for 30: Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks

1h 8m TV-PG 2010

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Amateur

Before he stepped up as the face of Power Book II: Ghost, Michael Rainey Jr. first showed his power as a leading man in Ryan Koo’s Amateur. The sports drama follows Terron Forte (Rainey Jr.), a highly sought-after 14-year-old basketball prospect who comes to understand the corruption and greed in amateur sports when he’s recruited to an elite prep school. Sharon Leal and Brian J. White play Terron’s supportive parents, and Corey Parker Robinson and Josh Charles his demanding coaches.

Amateur

1h 36m TV-MA 2018

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High Flying Bird

High Flying Bird is no traditional sports drama. Shot entirely on an iPhone 8, this project from director Steven Soderbergh and Moonlight co-screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney stars André Holland as an agent who attempts to use his new, prized rookie client (American Vandal’s Melvin Gregg) to pull off an ambitious plan that — if successful — will pressure the NBA’s owners to end the current lockout. This fast-moving 90-minute watch also scores winning screen time from Zazie Beetz, Sonja Sohn, Zachary Quinto, Kyle MacLachlan, and Bill Duke.

High Flying Bird

1h 30m TV-MA 2019

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Hustle

Adam Sandler’s passions for movies and hoops blend together in this crowd-pleasing dramedy. He plays Philadelphia 76ers scout Stanley Sugerman, who stumbles across a game-changing prospect Bo Cruz (real-life NBA baller Juancho Hernangómez). The cast also includes Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, and Robert Duvall, as well as appearances by NBA legends Trae Young, Julius Erving, Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Doncic, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Anthony Edwards — the latter of whom steals scenes as trash-talking rival Kermit.

The Redeem Team

Attention must be paid to the assembling of the 2008 United States Olympic Men’s Basketball Team that came together after the demoralizing international loss at the 2004 Olympics. Under the guidance of longtime Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, the group headed to Beijing to finally reclaim gold — and redeem American basketball. Experience never-before-seen footage and interviews with the star-studded Redeem Team roster, including executive producers Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and the late Kobe Bryant.

Rez Ball

Based on the book Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation and produced by LeBron James, this moving drama tells the story of the Chuska Warriors, a scrappy high school team in New Mexico whose members rally together after the tragic death of one of their teammates. Director Sydney Freeland, who co-wrote the story with Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), keeps the tension high on and off the court, weaving in issues facing the Navajo Nation and how they affect the young players.

Sue Bird: In the Clutch

Sue Bird is a basketball legend, playing her entire career with the Seattle Storm, and she remains the only WNBA player to win titles in three different decades (plus five Olympic gold medals). This documentary sits down with the point guard as she reflects on her record-setting legacy on the court and her social justice advocacy beyond the arenas. Sarah Dowland directs the film, which also features insights from Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Steph Curry.

Sue Bird: In the Clutch

1h 38m TV-MA 2024

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Untold: Malice at the Palace

Untold chronicles some of the wildest and most unbelievable sports stories, and more than a dozen entries into its run, it’s still hard to beat the debut. Malice at the Palace goes inside the infamous 2004 brawl at Detroit’s Palace of Auburn Hills, where an attendee threw a drink at the court, hitting Indiana Pacers star Ron Artest (now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest). The documentary interviews everyone involved, including the cup-throwing culprit. Make it a marathon with more basketball-centric Untold titles like Untold: Shooting Guards, Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul, and Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom.