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'The Way Back' (2020) -

Basketball star Jake Cunningham (Ben Affleck) was at the top of his game before turning his back on the sport and descending into alcoholism.

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'The Way Back' (2020) -

Years later, Cunningham is given a shot at redemption when he accepts a coaching job at his alma mater. But is he able to earn the trust and respect of his team?

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'Like Mike' (2002) -

'Like Mike' stars Bow Wow as an orphaned kid named Calvin Cambridge who finds an old pair of sneakers with the faded initials "MJ" inside them.

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'Like Mike' (2002) -

After trying them on, the youngster is suddenly gifted with amazing basketball talents—the shoes once belonged to Michael Jordan!

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'Semi-Pro' (2008) -

Will Ferrell is cast as former singer Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the under-performing ABA Flint Tropics.

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'Semi-Pro' (2008) -

The Tropics are the worst team in the league, and Moon must rally his teammates in order to make their NBA dreams a reality.

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'Coach Carter' (2005) -

Samuel L. Jackson is coach Ken Carter in this biographical drama that tells the true story of the benching by said coach of his entire undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results.

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'Coach Carter' (2005) -

The movie is based on the events of 1999 at Richmond High School in California. It costars Rob Brown, Channing Tatum, and Ashanti.

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'Hustle' (2022) -

'Hustle' stars Adam Sandler, cast against type, as a basketball scout who discovers a hugely talented street ball player in Spain. Sandler earned his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the role.

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'High Flying Bird' (2019) -

'High Flying Bird' stars André Holland as Ray Burke, an agent working for a sports agency that finds itself in the middle of a pro basketball lockout. Mindful of the agency's survival and fearful for his job, Burke pitches a rookie basketball client on an intriguing and controversial business proposition.

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'Glory Road' (2006) -

'Glory Road' is based on an inspirational true story surrounding the events leading up to the 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship.

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'Glory Road' (2006) -

The movie stars Josh Lucas as Don Haskins, who coached a college basketball team with an all-black starting lineup and led them to a NCAA final against a backdrop of racism and bigotry. Derek Luke and Mehcad Brooks costar.

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'He Got Game' (1998) -

Directed by Spike Lee, 'He Got Game' stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, the father of a top-ranked basketball player. Jailed for murder, Jake must try and convince his son to play for the prison governor's alma mater in exchange for a reduced sentence.

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'He Got Game' (1998) -

Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan are among a host of NBA players who make cameo performances in the movie.

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'Finding Forrester' (2000) -

Basketball plays a role in this thoughtful drama in which a young black writing prodigy called Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) befriends a reclusive author, William Forester (Sean Connery).

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'Finding Forrester' (2000) -

Wallace prefers shooting hoops with his buddies. Eventually, however, Forrester refines the youngster's talent for writing and helps him realize his identity.

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'Hoosiers' (1986) -

Inspired in part by the Milan High School team who won the 1954 state championship, 'Hoosiers' stars Gene Hackman as a coach with a checkered past who teams up with a local drunk (Dennis Hopper) to train a small-town Indiana high school basketball team with eyes on the state championship.

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'Above the Rim' (1994) -

This sports drama follows the fortunes of a promising New York City high school basketball player (Duane Martin) and his relationships with two brothers; one a drug dealer, the other a former basketball star.

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'Above the Rim' (1994) -

Tupac Shakur plays the younger brother, a local thug called Birdie, while Leon Robinson portrays the older, once promising athlete.

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'The Basketball Diaries' (1995) -

Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by author, poet, and punk musician Jim Carroll, 'The Basketball Diaries' follows a teenaged Carroll, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, as his dreams of becoming a pro basketball player quickly diminish as his life spirals out of control in a haze of substance abuse.

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'The Basketball Diaries' (1995) -

The movie costars Mark Wahlberg and Lorraine Bracco. Carroll himself appears in a cameo role.

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'Love & Basketball' (2000) -

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood in her feature film directorial debut, 'Love & Basketball' follows the lives of two next-door neighbors whose mutual love of basketball is matched only by their passion for each other.

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'Love & Basketball' (2000) -

Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps play the two main characters of the film. Model and TV personality Tyra Banks has a small role in the picture.

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'White Men Can't Jump' (1992) -

Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) makes a living by hustling street ballers who assume he's a lousy player because he's white.

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'White Men Can't Jump' (1992) -

However, Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes) knows otherwise, and the pair team up to double their chances of winning money on the street courts and in a basketball tournament.

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'Teen Wolf' (1985) -

Michael J. Fox stars as regular high-school student Scott Howard, who discovers that he is a werewolf.

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'Teen Wolf' (1985) -

Howard plays on the school's unsuccessful basketball team. One day on court he flips out and changes into the wolf, who's possessed of incredible skills and helps win their first game in three years.

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'Space Jam' (1996) -

And celebrated basketball player Michael Jordan stars in this live-action/animated sports comedy film in which he plays a fictional version of himself.

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'Space Jam' (1996) -

Jordan is recruited by the 'Looney Tunes' cartoon characters to aid them in a basketball game against a team of invading aliens, who threaten their opponents with enslavement as attractions in an amusement park.

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'Space Jam: A New Legacy' (2021) -

A standalone sequel to the 1996 movie, 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' this time stars basketball player LeBron James, also as a fictional version of himself.

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'Space Jam: A New Legacy' (2021) -

In a similar storyline, LeBron James teams up with Bugs Bunny and other members of the 'Looney Tunes' troupe to defeat a team of rogue artificial intelligence avatars.

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'Air Bud' (1997) -

A golden retriever called Air Buddy, an escaped circus dog, joins the local school basketball team in this charming sports comedy film.

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'Air Bud' (1997) -

Air Buddy is befriended by Josh (Kevin Zegers), who plays for the Timberwolves. The clever canine joins the roster to lead the team to victory.

See also: The best New York movies ever

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