The 5 best basketball movies to watch during the NBA Finals

The never-before-seen NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are underway. The Thunder will play their first Finals after moving from Seattle, while the Pacers return 25 years later after suffering the Shaquille O’Neal gale in 2000. But to see good basketball, we can also watch a movie, since it is the sport that has probably always been the best on the big screen, with outstanding productions such as the ones we recommend below.

‘Coach Carter’ (2005)

Based on the real-life case of coach Ken Carter, he is played by Samuel L. Jackson, a tough, tough coach who arrives at Richmond High School to get his players back on track. The players, including a young Channing Tatum, will have to be taken away from the streets, and even from the court, to bring them closer to the library and classes, because if they don’t improve their academic results, they will have to quit the team. The kids end up buying into Coach Carter’s method and achieving success not only on the court, but also in their exams.

Where to watch: Available on Paramount Plus.

‘Hoosiers’ (1986)

It may not be unanimous, but ‘Hoosiers’ is considered by most fans to be the best in the sport of basketball. As the famous saying popular in Larry Bird’s home state goes, “in 49 states it’s just basketball...but this is Indiana,” so it’s one that’s taken very seriously. The recently departed Gene Hackman plays hard-nosed coach Norman Dale, who has to deal not only with his players, but their dysfunctional families and a Hickory town that doesn’t take kindly to his expedient methods.

Where to watch: available on Cinemax

’He got game’ (1998)

This Spike Lee film was the feature film debut of one of the great sharpshooters in NBA history, Ray Allen. Denzel Washington plays Jake Shuttlesworth, a convict to whom the governor offers a deal: reduce his sentence in exchange for convincing his son Jesus (Allen), considered the best high school player in the country, to sign for the local team. Jesus is a self-made boy, who has grown up without a mother and with his father in jail, so Washington has no easy task ahead of him.

Where to watch: available on Starz

‘Space Jam’ (1996)

A movie whose myth is greater than its quality, but at least it is really funny, and full of cameos from players of the 90’s like Patrick Ewing or Charles Barkley, as well as the presence of the best of all time. In this one, the Looney Tunes are threatened by the evil Monstars, challenging them to a basketball game, so they have to resort to none other than Michael Jordan to help them achieve victory. It won’t be easy, as the Monstars have stolen the skills of NBA players like the aforementioned Muggsy Bogues and Shawn Bradley.

Where to watch: available on rent on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Microsoft Store.

‘Air’ (2023)

Converse was the dominant brand on the court, thanks to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, while Adidas was the dominant brand on the streets, thanks to the rap group Run D.M.C., so Nike needed to make an immediate impact or be permanently relegated to the shadow of both. The solution was to invest the entire annual budget in shoeing the most promising rookie since the two big stars of the Celtics and Lakers came into the league. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Jason Bateman manage to make a solid movie revolve around sneakers and make us forget that we are watching a Michael Jordan movie... without Michael Jordan.

Where to watch: available on Prime Video.

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