Top 15 best documentaries on Basketball: Counting down the best hoops showcases from The Last Dance to Underrated
Over the years, a lot of great basketball documentaries have been released, featuring some of the top athletes and coaches, who share stories and behind-the-scenes action from their journey to significant basketball moments.
Here we take a look at the 15 best documentaries of all time, featuring "The Last Dance" and Stephen Curry's latest documentary, "Underrated."
#15, The Fab Five
The "Fab Five" is about the lives of Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson on their journey to make it big in college basketball. Released in 2011 and directed by Jason Hehir, the show features the five as the first-ever freshmen partnership to make it to the NCAA National Championship game.
#14, Hoop Dreams
"Hoop Dreams" is one of the best basketball documentaries of all time. It offers a close look at the story of William Gates and Arthur Agee, two young ballers from the inner city of Chicago, who try to achieve their dream of playing in the NBA one day. It is 2 hours and 54 minutes long and was released in 1994.
#13, Bad Boys
This documentary provides an inside look at the true bad boys of the NBA, the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn, and Isiah Thomas would do just about anything to win NBA titles.
This 2-hour and 20-minute piece was released in 2014. "Bad Boys" shows people the amount of grit and tenacity it takes to win NBA championships.
#12, Michael Jordan to the Max
This documentary is only 46 minutes in length, but it is packed with highlights from Michael Jordan’s entire basketball career and shows some rare footage. It was released in 2000 and featured Jordan, Phil Jackson, and Doug Collins.
#11, Linsanity
The story of Jeremy Lin’s rise to fame mid-way through the 2012 NBA season with the New York Knicks. The documentary details the adversity he had to get through to make it to the NBA.
#10, The Announcement
The story of Magic Johnson announcing that he is HIV positive. This documentary goes in-depth into Magic Johnson’s life the days leading up to the announcement, and the years after it.
#9, Iverson
A biographical movie about Allen Iverson’s life. From his legendary step over Tyronn Lue in the NBA Finals to the iconic “We’re talking about practice” episode, Allen Iverson was one of a kind.
The first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft had an illustrious career, even though he never won an NBA championship. The documentary, released in 2014, shows Allen Iverson as well as the meaningful people in his life, revisiting the pivotal moments in time when he needed them, and basketball.
#8, More Than a Game
A story (released in 2008) featuring LeBron James and four of his teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Akron, Ohio and their rise to the cream of the high school basketball crop.
It is an inside look at the highs and lows of the lives of LeBron James and his teammates Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis. The documentary follows them as they grow from a relatively unknown squad to the talk of the entire nation.
#7, Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks
Released in 2010, this follows the classic '90s rivalry featuring the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. It features some interesting moments and clutch shots by Reggie Miller and the feud between him and Spike Lee.
During the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals, in Game 1 of that series, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to beat the Knicks while crushing Spike's ego. The Pacers went on to win the series in seven games.
#6, Shut Up and Dribble
This is a response to commentator Laura Ingraham's dismissive February 2018 sneer in the direction of LeBron James, one of the series' executive producers.
The series goes on to highlight further double standards many prominent players faced during their heydays.
#5, Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's rivalry helped the NBA grow immensely and make it one of the most popular leagues in the world.
HBO documents the story of their impact on the NBA during the '80s. While battling for championships the two formed an unbreakable bond that laid the foundation for today's NBA.
#4, Untold: Malice at the Palace
The story of one of the biggest brawls in sports history during a game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004.
Although it’s only one episode of a larger docuseries by Netflix, this documentary (2021) gives never-before-seen footage and untold perspectives of the biggest brawl in sports history. A moment that not only changed basketball but how fans interact with players.
#3, The Redeem Team
The documentary (2022) reflects on the rise of Team USA basketball from an embarrassing loss in the 2004 Olympics to the pinnacle of international basketball with a gold medal in 2008.
The story is told from the perspective of the players including untold anecdotes. While the story focuses on the overall development of USA basketball, a significant focus in the documentary is the personality and legacy of Kobe Bryant.
#2, The Last Dance
The story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty is told through the lens of never before seen footage from their final season together in 1998.
The Last Dance (2021) is a raw and unfiltered look at one of the greatest teams of all time.
With epic co-stars like Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, "The Last Dance" showed just how tough it was for the Bulls, even though they made it look so easy. This 10-part documentary is a must-watch for any basketball fan, especially if you were too young to remember the Bulls' glory days.
#1, Underrated
Underrated helps fans gain a deeper understanding as to why Stephen Curry was thought of as an underrated player. The documentary features archive footage as well as intimate interviews with Curry and those close to him. It follows his beginning as an undersized college player at a small-town Division I college to a four-time NBA champion,
Curry shares the story of how his career began and how being doubted eventually ended up as an extra motivation to become one of the greatest players ever for the Golden State Warriors.