March Madness is in full swing and we’re celebrating with the 5 greatest basketball movies of all-time. There have been some great ones, but which ones will make the cut?

Let’s dive in to a list of the greatest basketball movies that Hollywood has given us. Sure, there were some duds but some of the best sports movies ever were basketball movies!

5 Greatest Basketball Movies Of All-Time

Look, this was tough to make. Undoubtedly, this is going to start a debate. I could only pick 5 of the best of the best, which means some great basketball flicks are going to get left out. Yes, your favorite could end up not making the list–but that doesn’t mean it isn’t great! It’s hard to take all those movies and whittle it down to only 5. So, please let us know if we forgot your favorite and we can consider adding it to the list next time.

Honorable mentions include The Way Back starring Ben Affleck. That was a great, and emotional movie. It shows the power basketball, or any sport, can have on people. Additionally, classics like Glory Road, Like Mike, He Got Game, and White Men Can’t Jump won’t be found on the list. Likewise, BASEketball won’t make the list because it’s not entirely a basketball movie. Expect to see it on a future Best Hybrid Sports Movies list. Do they deserve to be? Absolutely! However, they didn’t make the list of my personal favorites. They’re probably on yours!

Recently, we celebrated the start of baseball season with a list of the 5 greatest baseball movies of all-time. That was another fantastic list that was hard to narrow down to only 5. However, I feel like this list is more of a challenge. It would be easy to name 5 great golf movies–there aren’t many of them! Unfortunately, you can’t say the same about basketball movies.

Check out the list below! Did we miss your favorite basketball movie? Let us know! Here are the 5 we ended up with at the end. Of course, just like in March Madness there are some crazy upsets and Cinderella stories.

The Best Basketball Movies Ever Made

• Space Jam

  The original Space Jam is one of the best movies of all-time, let alone basketball movies. It’s a great combination of live action and animation. It stars Michael Jordan in one of his very few acting roles, and he does a good enough job! However, the stars of the movie are the Looney Tunes. Bugs Bunny and the gang are hilarious. Bill Murray and Wayne Knight have stellar cameos, as do some other NBA stars of the 90s. The sequel will not make the list.

• Coach Carter

  Coach Carter is a powerful movie. It was an instant classic. The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson, Rick Gonzalez, and Channing Tatum. At first, you feel like Coach Carter is the worst kind of Coach, before you realize his greatness and how he’s exactly what those players needed. As a former high school athlete, it was a relatable movie. One of the best for sure.

• Hustle

  You might have a problem with Hustle making the list. That’s understandable. However, you’ve got to give Adam Sandler credit here. He did a fantastic job in a more serious role while being able to deliver laughs. It ended up being an excellent movie, and I’m keeping it on the list!

• Semi-Pro

  Semi-Pro is hilarious and Will Ferrell gives a phenomenal performance as a basketball player/coach/owner. He does it in the style that only Will Ferrell could pull off. The Flint Tropics uniform remains a Halloween staple to this day. You’ll always see at least one at the party. It’s different than most other basketball movies, but in a good way.

• Hoosiers

  Another classic. I felt bad not having this one on the list. Is it my personal favorite? No. I can admit it is not. However, it simply had to make the list of the best basketball movies. I would have been ripped apart if it wasn’t included. I already feel bad enough for not including White Men Can’t Jump and He Got Game. One of those had to make the list!

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