Top 250 Movies Like Players
A list of the best movies similar to Players. If you liked Players then you may also like: The Year of the Yao, Zapped, The Vast of Night, White Men Can't Jump, Wolves and many more great movies featured on this list.
The Vast of Night
At the dawn of the space-race, two radio-obsessed teens discover a strange frequency over the airwaves in what becomes the most important night of their lives and in the history of their small town.
White Men Can't Jump
Two street basketball hustlers try to con each other, then team up for a bigger score.
Wolves
Anthony Keller, star of his NYC high school basketball team, is riding his way to Cornell on a sports scholarship. But he can only maintain his popular jock facade for so long, as his troubled father Lee has a gambling addiction that threatens to derail his dreams both on and off the court.
The World's Greatest Athlete
Stuck with a feeble sports department, college coach Sam Archer (John Amos) faces the ax unless he can reverse the school's athletic fortunes. An African vacation with his assistant (Tim Conway) answers Archer's prayers when he spots the athletically gifted Nanu (Jan-Michael Vincent). Sam counts on Nanu's remarkable abilities to put the team back on the winning track. This upbeat farce boasts an impressive cast of comedians.
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the rest of his life to the young kids of Harlem. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the first tournament named after him.
Just Wright
A physical therapist falls for the basketball player she is helping recover from a career-threatening injury.
Juwanna Mann
A basketball star is booted out of the NBA when his on-court antics go too far, so he poses as a woman and joins the WUBA.
Above the Rim
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
The Air Up There
Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home movie. But Saleh is the chief's son and has responsibilities at home, since the tribe's land is threatened by a mining company with its own hotshot basketball team.
Animalympics
Animalympics is all about the Animal Olympics Contest where all the animals around the world gather to take part in everything from skiing in North America to the very long marathon race in humid conditions.
The Basketball Diaries
A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Blue Chips
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.
Celtic Pride
Two over-loyal Celtic fans kidnap their opponent's star player in order to guarantee their team the championship.
Full-Court Miracle
Inspired by the true story of University of Virginia basketball star Lamont Carr, the film centers on a group of young Jewish basketball players who search for a coach to help them out of a slump. The main character Alex Schlotsky is inspired by the true story of Alex Barbag and Chad Korpeck.
Glory Road
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
Coach
An Olympic Gold medalist is hired to coach the boys basketball team. But when Coach Randy Rawlings arrives, the school's sexist principal discovers he hired a woman. Blocked from firing her due to discrimination laws, he tries to make sure the team loses, so he can fire her for poor performance
Coach Carter
Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.
The Gambler
New York City English professor Axel Freed outwardly seems like an upstanding citizen. But privately Freed is in the clutches of a severe gambling addiction that threatens to destroy him.
Tall Story
A young insecure college sportsman is in trouble. He wants to marry his very straightforward girlfriend, but has no money. When he is offered a bribe to fix a game, he is torn even more about the matter.
Drive, He Said
Hector is a star basketball player for the College basketball team he plays for, the Leopards. His girlfriend, Olive, doesn't know whether to stay with him or leave him. And his friend, Gabriel, who may have dropped out from school and become a protestor, wants desperately not to get drafted for Vietnam.
Slam Dunk Ernest
Ernest P. Worrell becomes a basketball star after an angel bearing an uncanny resemblance to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives him a pair of magic sneakers.
Finding Forrester
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.
The Hot Flashes
An unlikely basketball team of unappreciated middle-aged Texas women, all former high school champs, challenge the current high school girls’ state champs to raise money for breast cancer prevention. Sparks fly as the women go to comic extremes to prove themselves on and off the court, become a national media sensation, and gain a new lease on life.
Space Jam
Jokes fly as the Tune Squad takes on the Nerdlucks in a hardcourt game to decide if the Looney Tunes remain here... or become attractions at a far-off galactic off-ramp called Moron Mountain. The Nerdlucks have a monstrous secret weapon: they've stolen the skills of top NBA stars like Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing and become Monstars. But that's not all, folks. The Tune Squad’s secret weapon just happens to be the finest player in this or any other universe. He's outta this world. So's the fun.
Hustle
After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad, a down on his luck basketball scout takes it upon himself to bring the phenom to the States without his team's approval. Against the odds, they have one final shot to prove they have what it takes to make it in the NBA.
One Man and His Shoes
'One Man and His Shoes' tells the story of the phenomenon of Air Jordan sneakers showing their social, cultural and racial significance and how ground-breaking marketing strategies created a multi-billion-dollar business.
Eddie
Eddie is a New York limo driver and a fanatical follower of the New York Knicks professional basketball team. The team is struggling with a mediocre record when, in mid-season, "Wild Bill" Burgess, the new owner, as a public relations gimmick, stages an 'honorary coach' contest, which Eddie wins. The fans love it, so "Wild Bill" fires the coach and hires her. She takes the bunch of overpaid prima
Love & Basketball
Monica Wright and Quincy McCall grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball.
Shooting Stars
The inspiring origin story of a basketball superhero, revealing how LeBron James and his childhood friends become the #1 high school team in the country, launching James's breathtaking career as a four-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
The Sixth Man
A college athlete returns from the dead to help his brother's basketball team win the NCAA title.
Slamma Jamma
Wrongfully accused and sent to prison, a former basketball star prepares for the national slam dunk competition while finding redemption in himself and in those he loves.
Night of the Dribbler
The Watergate Plumbers, a poorly-performing college basketball team, lose their best players one by one to death and dismemberment at the hands of a mysterious masked stalker.
One on One
Henry Steele is a basketball phenom at his small town high school, but when he matriculates to a big city university on a scholarship, soon realizes that he has few skills outside the sport. Expected by his coach to contribute significantly to the team, Henry is overwhelmed by the demands on his time, the "big business" aspect of college sports, and the fact that he never fully learned to read. Things look bleak for Henry when Janet Hays, a pretty graduate student, is assigned as Henry's tutor. Her intellect and strength lift Henry out of his doldrums just in time to battle the coach, who attempts to rescind Henry's scholarship.
He Got Game
A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter prison sentence.
Hoop Dreams
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
Hoosiers
Failed college coach Norman Dale gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to coach a high school basketball team in a tiny Indiana town. After a teacher persuades star player Jimmy Chitwood to quit and focus on his long-neglected studies, Dale struggles to develop a winning team in the face of community criticism for his temper and his unconventional choice of assistant coach: Shooter, a notorious alcoholic.
Like Mike
Calvin and his friends, who all live in an orphanage, find old shoes with the faded letters MJ connected to a powerline. One stormy night, they go to get the shoes when Calvin and the shoes are struck by lightning. Calvin now has unbelievable basketball powers and has the chance to play for the NBA.
Like Mike 2: Streetball
Another young boy with 'hoop dreams' finds an old pair of Michael Jordan's sneakers and can suddenly play ball like the greatest player in the world.
The Longest Yard
Pro quarter-back, Paul Crewe and former college champion and coach, Nate Scarboro are doing time in the same prison. Asked to put together a team of inmates to take on the guards, Crewe enlists the help of Scarboro to coach the inmates to victory in a football game 'fixed' to turn out quite another way.
Michael Jordan to the Max
This documentary showcases basketball player Michael Jordan's awe-inspiring moves, providing behind-the-scenes and on-the-court action, including footage of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls going head-to-head against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals. Phil Jackson and Bob Costas are interviewed (among others), and the awesome soundtrack includes songs by Earth, Wind and Fire, Fatboy Slim and Freddie King.
Picture Perfect
Two teenagers (with single parents) join their families together in order to win the grand prize in a soda company competition by pretending to be the perfect family. The only problem is the CEO of the company must live with them for one week.
The Possession
A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.
Hurricane Season
Based on true events amid the wreckage and chaos dealt by Hurricane Katrina; one basketball coach in Marrero, Louisiana just will not give up. Coach Al Collins, gathers other players from hard-hit schools and builds a team actually worthy enough to go to the state playoffs.
Cornbread, Earl and Me
The unintentional shooting by police of a star basketball player has profound personal, political and community repercussions in this acclaimed adaptation of the novel Hog Butcher by Ronald Fair. This was one of the more thoughtful urban dramas produced at the height of the "blaxploitation" craze. Also released under the title Hit the Open Man, it features the screen debut of Laurence Fishburne, who was barely a teenager at the time.
She Ball
On a mission to save his Inglewood community center, Avery Watts enlists a talented basketball player, Shelby, to help him win the grand prize in a street ball tournament. Together, Avery and Shelby challenge local politicians, gangs and their own stereotypes to save their community.
Sunset Park
A school teacher takes over a talented, but undisciplined high school basketball team and turns them into a winning team.
Semi-Pro
Jackie Moon is the owner, promoter, coach, and star player of the Flint Michigan Tropics of the American Basketball Association (ABA). In 1976 before the ABA collapses, the National Basketball Association (NBA) plans to merge with the best teams of the ABA at the end of the season. Only the top four teams will make the move and the worst teams will fold. The Tropics are the worst team in the league and if they want to make it to the NBA, Jackie Moon must rally his team and start winning. The only problem is the fact that Jackie Moon is not really the coach and star basketball player he thinks he is. To keep his team from oblivion and leave his mark in the city, Jackie Moon must inspire his team to win fourth place in the playoffs.
Thunderstruck
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Big Town Scandal
A crusading editor and his star reporter aid underprivileged youths and crack down on racketeers out to fix basketball.
The Winning Season
A comedy centered on a has-been coach who is given a shot at redemption when he's asked to run his local high school's girls basketball team
State of Play: Trophy Kids
The growing obsession of parents in the scholastic athletic competition of their children is the focus of this first installment in HBO Sports innovative new documentary series. Each new edition spotlights a topic or person whose impact on the sports world is undeniable, opening with a brief overview, followed by a verite documentary and a roundtable discussion.
No Look Pass
No Look Pass is the coming-of-age American Dream story of Emily “Etay” Tay, a first generation Burmese immigrant from Chinatown, Los Angeles, who breaks all of the rules of tradition. After living a double life at Harvard University, she strives to play professional basketball in Germany while coming out as a lesbian. Emily’s dreams are no slam dunk — family, race, and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell conspire against her, firing her passions on and off the court.
Pistol: The Birth of a Legend
A story about the great basketball player "Pistol" Pete Maravich when he was in the eighth grade. He plays on the varsity basketball team at Daniel High School but has some very difficult obstacles standing in his way of playing. The only support he has is from his father, retired basketball pro Press Maravich.
The Basketball Fix
A college basketball star collaborrates with organized crime and becomes involved in 'point shaving.' A sportswriter tries to get him back on the right track.
Out of Bounds
Travis Elliot, a star high school basketball player from Memphis, Tennessee must save his older brother but is torn between playing the sport that he loves or living a life of crime.
Believe in Me
In a conservative small town, a young man's wish to coach high school basketball are tweaked by a school board decision that makes him the new coach of the girls' team.
The American Game
Documentary film contrasting the experiences of two high-school seniors, basketball players from remarkably different backgrounds. Brian Walker is taken from his close-knit Indiana family, living in a small town. In contrast, Stretch Graham has practically no family support, and looks to his Brooklyn team and his warm-hearted coach for support. Both are actively being recruited by colleges.
Mixed Company
Kathy Morrison (Harris), mother of three, who helps run a "color-blind" adoption program, wants to have another biological child. Her husband, Pete (Bologna), the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, finds out he can't produce another child. Kathy thinks about adopting a boy, Frederic "Freddie" Wilcox, and Pete does not want to adopt a boy who happens to be black. When he relents, Freddie's arrival causes an upheaval in the Morrison's neighborhood, their school, and family. Kathy's answer is to adopt another child, in this case two, a war-traumatized half-Vietnamese girl, Quan Tran, and a Hopi boy, Joe. The new extended family must now learn to live together.
Before He Wakes
Initially cleared of "accidentally" killing her husband, an idyllic wife and mother comes under suspicion when police learn that her first husband also perished under similar circumstances. As the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that she'll stop at nothing to protect her secrets.
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh basketball team is hopeless. Maybe with the aid of an astrologer, and some new astrologically compatible players, they can become winners.
That Championship Season
It started as a friendly meeting between 4 old buddies with their basketball coach and ended up in revealing the truth about their relationship. The meeting forces the five men to reveal their true identity, to be honest with each other for the first time in their lives. When the night comes to an end they decide to go back to the old glorious days and reunite into the team which won that championship season, back in 1957.
Strike Force
A New York City detective teams up with a federal agent and a state trooper to bust up a drug ring.
Big and Hairy
A boy moves into a new town and has difficulty making friends, so he joins the basketball team. Initially experiencing little success, his popularity increases when he convinces a Sasquatch to join the team.
Crossing the Line
A former basketball star moves to a small town to assistant coach for a high school championship-winning basketball team.
White Men Can't Jump
Seemingly opposite street hoopers, Jeremy, an injury prone former star, and Kamal, a has-been prodigy, team up to take one final shot at living out their dreams.
Death Game
A young black man is a growing basketball star in his school. The Mob decides to initiate him and manage him. He likes the presents, money and girls, but his coach does not. When things go too far, only his coach can do what must be done.
Sweetwater
In 1990 Chicago, a taxi driver recounts to his passenger, a sportswriter, his life story. He reveals himself to be Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, one of the first African Americans to play in the NBA.
Rise
After emigrating to Greece from Nigeria, Vera and Charles Antetokounmpo struggled to survive and provide for their five children, while living under the daily threat of deportation. Desperate to obtain Greek citizenship but undermined by a system that blocked them at every turn, the family's vision, determination and faith lifted them out of obscurity to launch the careers of three NBA champions.
Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
An exploration of the fierce rivalry between NBA superstars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson during their decade of dominance.
Uncle Drew
Uncle Drew recruits a squad of older basketball players to return to the court to compete in a tournament.
Fast Break
David Greene is a New York basketball enthusiast, who wants to coach. He is then offered the coaching job at a small Nevada college. He brings along some players, who are a bit odd but good. Like Swish who unknown to the rest of the team is a girl. Preacher, who's being sought by some nefarious characters. And D.C., who's a fugitive. And along with some of the students at the college, he turns them into a contender. In order to give the tam the respect they deserve and some exposure, Greene schemes to try and get the number 1 team led by Bo Winnegar, to play them.
With Love, Christmas
Advertising execs Melanie Welsh and Donovan Goodwin disagree on a cellphone Christmas commercial they’re pitching. He says his sleek design will win over the client but she knows it lacks holiday spirit.
Birthday Boy
A salesman in a sporting-goods store takes a cross-country trip on his birthday in order to visit his old gym coach, and sell him a supply of basketballs.
Campus Confessions
This comical campus romance showcases the fancy footwork of All-American basketball player Hank Luisetti while it tells the story of a dean's son who does his very best to become a good student. When he fails, he turns to playing basketball and befriends Luisetti, which makes him quite popular. This doesn't sit well with the dean, who wants academics to be more important than sports.
Events Transpiring Before, During, and After a High School Basketball Game
As Middleview High School's woeful boys basketball team prepares for another certain loss, several unusual dramas take shape around its periphery.
L for Leisure
A dreamy, ironic comedy about a generation of hedonistic students in the 1990s. Their favourite activity: talking endlessly. During a series of vacation days filled with sun-drenched naps, squabbling, waterskiing competitions and love-making, the amateur actors discuss their concerns in dry dialogues. For instance, semi-intellectual reflections on the end of time and how Michael Jordan plays basketball.
:03 from Gold
The 1972 Olympic men's basketball final, in which Team USA was accorded their first ever loss since the sport was adopted in competition, was one of the most controversial events in history the history of the Games.
The UCLA Dynasty
While the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement and political scandal were consuming the nation, a basketball legacy grew in southern California. Led by coach John Wooden, the UCLA Bruins amassed an unprecedented ten NCAA titles in the 12 seasons from 1964-1975, setting a standard of excellence and consistency in a volatile country.
Dean Smith
Coach, mentor, social activist ...the life and legacy of Dean Smith, North Carolina's legendary basketball coach - who went to 11 Finals Fours and won two National Championships, with players like Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Vince Carter and Jerry Stackhouse - is remembered and celebrated by former players and colleagues.
An American Citizen
An Israeli sports journalist befriends an American basketball pro playing in Israel. Although from very different backgrounds, their love for the game deepens their friendship. Each learns to value the other's culture.
Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1
Inspired by New York City streetball, influential brand AND1 turned local legends on the court into international icons. So why did it come to an end?
Stephen Curry: Underrated
The remarkable coming-of-age story of Stephen Curry—one of the most influential, dynamic, and unexpected players in basketball history—and his rise from an undersized college player to a four-time NBA champion.
Untold: Malice at the Palace
Key figures from an infamous 2004 incident between players and fans at an NBA game in Michigan discuss the fight, its fallout, and its lasting legacy.
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey
A documentary that chronicles the extraordinary odyssey of NBA mega-star Giannis Antetokounmpo from an impoverished childhood in Greece as the son of Nigerian immigrants to the very top of the basketball world.
Sue Bird: In the Clutch
In her 21-year professional career, WNBA basketball legend Sue Bird has won five Olympic gold medals and become the most successful point guard to ever play the game. Alongside her fiancée, U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe, Sue confronts her next challenge: retiring from the only life she’s ever known.
A list of the best movies similar to Players. If you liked Players then you may also like: The Year of the Yao, Zapped, The Vast of Night, White Men Can't Jump, Wolves and many more great movies featured on this list.
The Year of the Yao
The Year of the Yao is a documentary film telling the first year of basketball player Yao Ming in the United States.