Basketball

1986 · David Anspaugh · 114 min · Sports Drama

Hoosiers is the sports movie that every sports movie since has been trying to replicate, and almost none have matched. Gene Hackman gives a masterclass in restrained intensity as a disgraced coach getting one last chance, Dennis Hopper earned a deserved Oscar nomination as the town drunk finding redemption through the game, and Jerry Goldsmith's score elevates rural Indiana basketball into something that feels almost mythic. The formula is visible if you look for it, and the film never complicates its moral universe beyond good effort rewarded and doubt punished. But the execution is so precise, the performances so committed, and the basketball so well-filmed that Hoosiers has earned its place at the top of the genre.

2012 · 3 Seasons · MBS · Sports, Animation

Kuroko's Basketball turns high school basketball into a superpower spectacle, and the combination of an invisible protagonist with over-the-top athletic abilities makes for one of the most entertaining sports anime around.

2003 · 9 Seasons · The WB / The CW · Drama

One Tree Hill is a sprawling teen drama that's at its best when it focuses on the complicated relationships at its core and at its worst when it chases absurd plot twists for shock value. The first four seasons build something special, and the time jump reinvents the show with enough success to justify the long haul.

2018 · Sports

NBA 2K Mobile delivers impressive on-court basketball visuals and gameplay for a mobile title, with animations and player likenesses that set a high bar for the platform. The card collection system and season mode provide structure. But the aggressive monetization, energy system, and pay-to-win competitive modes undermine what should be a premium basketball experience. The 2K brand promises the best, and the gameplay mechanics deliver on that. The business model does not.