30 of the Best Basketball Movies on Netflix & Amazon

March is a special time of year for basketball fans with March Madness in mid-March through the beginning of April.  We have put together a list of the best basketball movies on Netflix and Amazon so you can watch some inspiring basketball movies and talk all things basketball.

30 of the Best Basketball Movies on Netflix and Amazon

March Madness is the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament of college professional basketball players and their teams. It is called March Madness because it is played in March and there is so much fun madness involving guessing which team will be eliminated and which will win. Many people get very serious about their picks and keeping track of it all.

While you are waiting for the big games to start, you can pick out some fun basketball movies to watch from our list!

Basketball Movies on Netflix

These basketball movies and documentaries are available to stream right now on Netflix. These offerings may change, but these are what are available to watch on your Netflix account. Some of these movies are rated R, or MA for language, so please use your discretion, or preview before watching with your family.

1. Hustle (2022) Rated R for language – This Netflix original with Adam Sandler is a heartwarming, comedy drama about a basketball scout finding a superstar in Spain and proving they have what it takes to get into the NBA.

2. Amateur (2018) TV MA for language – A sports drama about a highly sought after 14 year old high school basketball basketball prodigy. He learns about the corruption and greed found in amateur sports when he recruited to an elite prep school to play.

3. High Flying Bird (2019) TV MA for language – Filmed completely on an iphone, this film stars André Holland as a sports agent with a rookie client. An NBA lockout forces them to look outside the box to save both of their careers.

4. Kuroko’s Basketball: Last Game (2017) TV-14 for language – This is a basketball anime movie based on the 3 season series that will delight fans of this type of animated medium.

Documentary Films and Series on Netflix

5. The Redeem Team (2022) TV MA for language –  This documentary is about the 2008 USA men’s basketball team as they try to find redemption after a huge loss in 2004. It documents mission to find redemption at the Beijing Olympics. There is behind the scene footage and interviews with Dwyane Wade, fellow executive producer LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and the late Kobe Bryant.

6. Tony Parker: The Final Shot (2014) TV 14 – Learn about the background and career of Tony Parker, who became the greatest French-American basketball player and four time NBA champion. This documentary follows him as he finds success in the NBA and how he is recovering from a torn quad muscle.

7. The Last Dance (2020) TV MA for language – An Emmy-winning docu-miniseries produced by ESPN and Netflix. This 10 part series follows Michael Jordan’s career and chronicles his rise to fame as a star player with the 1990’s Chicago Bulls. It mainly focuses on his final season with the team.

8. Bill Russell: Legend (2023) TV MA for language and smoking – This two part documentary follows Bill Russell, the Boston Celtic’s star defender and civil rights activist on and off the court. In a total of playing for 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, he led the team to 11 world championship titles.

Basketball Movies on Amazon

This list has some of the best movies about one of the most popular sports in America! There are family friendly basketball movies, Disney basketball movies, dramas, comedies and documentaries. These are either available to watch streaming on Amazon Prime Video, or they are available to rent to watch on Amazon.

Family Friendly Basketball Movies

9. Air Bud (1997) PG – Air Bud is the first in the popular dog buddy movies. This movie follows a 12 year old basketball player that is dealing with the death of his father. He finds an abused circus dog, who ends up training with him. They form a true bond and the basketball playing dog becomes a celebrity.

10. Like Mike (2002) PG – This is a heartwarming story of a 14 year old orphaned boy who becomes an NBA super star after trying on a pair of sneakers with the initials M.J. written on the inside of them.

11. The Mighty Macs (2011) G – Taking place in the 1970’s a nun becomes the head basketball coach for a small, all girls Catholic school. They have no budget, no gym, and no uniforms, yet they still make their way to their first national championship.

12. Space Jam (1996) PG – This is one of our family’s favorite basketball themed movies. Michael Jordan, one of the most famous NBA players stars alongside Larry Bird, Charles Barkely, Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters. They fight against an evil alien theme park owner (played by Danny Devito), who tries to kidnap Bugs Bunny! Only a basketball game challenge can save them all.

13. Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) PG – A new and updated Space Jam starring LeBron James and his young son, Dom who get trapped into digital space by AI. In order to get home, they have to team up with the Looney Tunes for a high stakes basketball game against the AI’s digital champions: the Goon Squad.

14. Spirit of the Game (2016) PG – Leading up to the 1965 Olympics, a group of missionaries help an Australian basketball team to compete in their first ever Olympics.

15. Breaking the Press (2011) PG – This movie is a modern retelling of the Prodigal Son parable, but set in Texas. A high school basketball coach has his Christian faith tested when his adopted son moves to a big-city school. Only the power of prayer and forgiveness can bring him back to his father.

Disney Basketball Movies on Amazon

16. Double Teamed (2002) G – This Disney Channel original movie is based on a true story about about twin girls who want to be WNBA stars. They face many challenges with their pushy father who wants them to transfer schools to succeed on a team. This is a fun and heartwarming movie about sisters embracing their differences and what makes each one special as they succeed to play in the WNBA.

17. The Absent Minded Professor (1961) G – Basketball and classic movie fans will say that the Absent Minded Professor is a great basketball movie. It contains one of the funniest scenes of basketball players defying gravity while playing with flubber on their tennis shoes!

18. Flubber (1997) PG – An updated version of The Absent Minded Professor, Flubber has some amazing special effects on the basketball court. It is fun to see the original version come to life with the green flubber goo acting as a character, and the comedic professor is played by the late Robin Williams.

Basketball Dramas and Comedies

19. Glory Road (2006) PG – An inspiring true story about the first college basketball team of all black players  that won the 1966 NCAA basketball championship.

20. Hoosiers (1987) PG – Gene Hackman plays a failed basketball coach who is hired to coach the basketball program at a tiny Indiana high school. He partners with a local drunk played by Dennis Hopper to train the team to become a contender the state championship in the 1950’s.

21. Rebound (2005) PG – Martin Lawrence stars as a college basketball coach with a temper which gets him fired. He takes a job coaching basketball at a middle school to repair his reputation. What he finds while helping them, truly changes his heart and attitude as he helps his team.

22. Champions (2023)  PG13 – This hilarious and heart warming comedy stars Woody Harrelson as a basketball coach that is court ordered to do community service. His community service involves managing a team of players that consist of intellectual disabilities.

23. Finding Forrester (2001) PG13 – This is a beautiful movie about an inner city basketball player from the Bronx who has a genius for writing. He becomes friends with a famous, but reclusive writer played by Sean Connery. He coaches him on writing and they form an unlikely friendship.

24. Forget Paris (1995) PG-13 – Starring and directed by Billy Crystal, this is a romantic drama/comedy about an NBA referee who takes his recently deceased father’s ashes to France and falls for an airline employee. The main action in the movie is on the basketball court with famous basketball players including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Isiah Thomas.

25. Coach Carter (2005) PG13 – This is one of the best basketball movies of all time that is based on the true story of Ken Carter, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Coach Carter had his players sign a contract that they would maintain good grades while they were playing, and all of his players went on to graduate high school.

Basketball Documentaries

26. Linsanity (2013) PG – An inspiring documentary about a new star, Jeremy Lin, who scored more points in his first give NBA starts than any other player for the New York Knicks in 2012. This unlikely hero was of the Taiwanese and Chinese heritage. He had many setbacks, but gained many fans as he helped the Knicks get a shot at the playoffs.

27. More Than a Game (2009) 13+ – This is a true story that documents future NBA superstar LeBron James and four other young, talented basketball players. They started off together as a powerhouse combination at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. It follows them from pre teens to graduation. This documentary features: LeBron James, Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, and their coach, Dry Joyce II.

28. The Heart of the Game (2006) 16+ – This documentary follows a university professor who coaches a girls high school basketball team in Washington State called the Roosevelt Roughriders. It documents their journey as the coach uses animal and nature themes to motivate the team.

29. Alaskan Nets (2022) 16+ – An interesting documentary series that is directed by Chris Pratt. It takes place in Metlakatla, Alaska’s last Native Indian reserve known for fishing and basketball! Two cousins lead their local High School team toward a shot at their first state championship in over 3 decades. Follow along as the town recovers from a tragedy as the new basketball title gives new life to the small town.

30. A Kid from Coney Island (2020) 18+  for language – The story of Stephon Marbury who was drafted by the NBA in 1996 and became a national basketball star. This movie documents the rise and fall and rebirth of this ex-NBA star. It also shows some of the darker side of professional basketball as a sport.

You may also like:

38 of the Best Football Movies on Netflix and Amazon

Movie Response Printable Pack

Add some educational flair to your movie night by using our Movie Response Template Pack. This will help your kids with thinking and writing skills as they create their own movie reviews on the movies that they watched.