The 8 Best Basketball Movies To Watch Before The NBA Finals

A movie that captures the energy, chatter, and grit of playing basketball more than almost any other, White Men Can’t Jump’s lived-in performances and clever use of the sport for the narrative made for a perfect union. Following a pair of mismatched street ballers who put together a scheme to hustle people on public courts, the film’s terrific mix of character dramedy and well-shot athleticism gives it a spark that reflects watching a good game break out. 

Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson are great in the lead roles, refining their snarkier personas that would define many of their future roles—all while keeping the action on the court strong enough to never feel fake. While the 2023 remake of White Men Can’t Jump isn’t bad, it can’t compare with the sly execution and charm of the original. 

There are plenty of films that use basketball as the backdrop for an inspirational story, but Hustle manages to infuse some memorable basketball into the story in a way that makes it more effective. Starring Spanish professional basketball player Juancho Hernangómez opposite an effectively grounded Adam Sandler performance, Hustle follows NBA recruiter Stanley Sugerman’s efforts to turn a promising young player from Spain into a star. 

Very much in the vein of sports movies like Creed (2015), Hustle works as well as it does in large part to very effective filming of the basketball games. Players get their personality across in their style, all filmed with a frantic but controlled edge that reflects the speed of the game. Hustle is perfect for anyone who enjoys the more dramatic Adam Sandler performances of Uncut Gems (2019) or Punch-Drunk Love (2002), but it’s also just a good pick for a sports fan looking for a good movie.

One of the more dramatic films on this list, He Got Game, is a great use of basketball as a metaphor for the abuses of society and the failings of men. One of many great Spike Lee and Denzel Washington collaborations, He Got Game follows a man's brief tenure outside of prison, where his potential freedom is predicated on his ability to convince his talented son to enroll in a specific college basketball program. 

Tense, raw, and unrestrained almost to a fault, there's a thorny bluntness to the story that Lee is telling that elevates it as a hard-hitting drama. While it might not be the same level of pulpy fun that makes some of their other films like Inside Man (2006) or Highest 2 Lowest (2025) so good, He Got Game’s best moments stand tall alongside the pair’s monumental dramatic work in Malcom X (1992)—all while delivering some pretty great basketball thanks to pro player Ray Allen opposite Washington.

There are plenty of basketball documentaries out there that could have been on this list, but none have ever quite topped the effect of Hoop Dreams. The doc is longer than three hours but never feels like it, a painfully grounded and relentlessly heartfelt documentary that follows the lives of two Chicago teenagers who aspire to become professional basketball players. 

Charting their lives through high school, both on and off the court, the documentary never shies away from the heartbreak of regular life and the little marvels hidden throughout it, telling a true story with a level of craft and care that few narrative films can ever even dream of approaching. A deeply compelling film, even audiences that usually balk at documentaries and prefer narrative features should track this one down for one of the best portrayals of what basketball means to people ever captured on film.

While most basketball films keep their focus on the players and the court, High Flying Bird takes a look at the business that surrounds the game. The film follows André Holland's Ray, a sports agent who has to maneuver the egos and ambitions of his client while also maneuvering around a league lockout. 

Directed by Steven Soderbergh with the same tight, almost lyrical flourish he's brought to other self-contained dramas like Black Bag (2025), High Flying Bird is a slick drama that moves at a quick clip, highlighting the hustle that goes into every corner of professional basketball. While the action is largely kept off the court, the strong character drama offers a great alternate look at the NBA than how it is usually portrayed on screen.

A great showcase about one of the most iconic basketball teams of all time, The Last Dance is a miniseries that every basketball fan should check out. The series charts the rise of the ‘90s Chicago Bulls, who remain one of the most iconic eras in the history of the NBA. Featuring the players themselves discussing their history and the legacy of the Bulls, The Last Dance is an impressive 10-part series that is riveting, funny, and even a little bit surprising despite the fame of the team. 

Fans who liked Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (2022) will embrace the tight focus and disarming revelations in an exploration of the Bulls' dynasty. This is a bit of a cheat on this list because of the episodic format, but it felt wrong talking about great basketball stories without mentioning this. If you’re looking for a crash course in one of the most important stories in the sport, this series is a must-watch.

Rez Ball is an emotionally raw teen drama by Sydney Freeland that explores a lot of heavy topics through the lens of an uplifting sports story. Focusing on a Native American high school basketball team on the Navajo Nation, the film sees the team beset by serious tragedy and forced to try and pick up the pieces of their season—and their lives. 

While it's largely following a formula established by plenty of other movies, there's a deeply felt authenticity to the portrayal of Indigenous characters, with an emotional arc that keeps the characters first and foremost. The actual basketball takes some clever tweaks thanks to the inclusion of Navajo shot-calling, with the filmmakers delivering a pretty consistently engaging film that will make you cry and cheer in equal measure. 

A completely different kind of basketball movie than most of the films on this list, Space Jam is still one of the most openly entertaining entries among them. There are plenty of kids' movies that include ridiculous riffs on basketball, like Air Bud (1997) and Like Mike (2002), but none that quite reach the wacky heights of the Looney Tunes/Michael Jordan crossover in Space Jam. 

A fusion of live-action and animation akin to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), Space Jam takes the cartoonish beats to the limit with a very silly mix of cartoon antics and basketball shenanigans. While it’s not perfect, it remains a big nostalgia touchpoint for players of a certain age—and is at least better than Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).