In this post, we’re going to itemize all of the best basketball movies on Hulu today. Seems kinda lame, but that’s actually very cool. Because Hulu is currently streaming several of the best basketball movies of all time.
At the moment, Hulu is the best streaming service for basketball movies. Most of my favorite basketball comedies are currently on Hulu. Netflix was running pretty strong there for a bit before they started dropping titles and letting Hulu pick them up. And now it’s safe to say Hulu is streaming at least 3 of the top 5 basketball movies of all time.
It’s almost as though Hulu is courting hoopers. And that may well be the case. It makes sense as a way to fuel interest in their exclusive White Men Can’t Jump reboot. This is maybe the same tactic employed by Netflix when they released Hustle last year.
On top of what’s currently streaming on Hulu, it’s very likely that you have the Disney+ / Hulu / ESPN+ bundle. In which case, you’ve got even more great basketball movies with Disney + as well as access to the 30-for-30 docs which includes a bunch of fantastic basketball documentaries. And if you still can’t find anything, I’ve got a post covering Netflix as well.
Alright, let’s take a look at all of the best basketball movies on Hulu for the fall of 2023.
Breaking down the 7 best basketball movies on Hulu in 2023
He Got Game (1998)
A well crafted basketball film. In my book, if you’re the service streaming HGG, you’re the best streaming service for basketball movies.
You get peak Denzel and peak Spike here, like a Jokíc Murray of film making. Still a touch of that classic Spike Lee theatricality, but it’s starting to blossom into purely cinematic.
And Denzel, not too long before Training Day (2001), so he can manage a little more dynamism. After training day, he kinda has to just be Denzel now. Same thing happened to Pacino.
A true basketball classic. He Got Game has maintained an 80% critic and an 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. I think that doesn’t even do it justice. Not only is this one of the best basketball movies on Hulu, it’s really one of the best basketball movies of all time.
Love & Basketball (2000)
Monica and Quincy are childhood neighbors and friends who share a passion for basketball. Love & Basketball follows their on-again off-again relationship as they transition through High School, college at USC, and into professional basketball careers.
The film has evolved into something of a cult classic over the years. And rightly so. This is a fantastic basketball movie. It’s sweet, well-scripted, well-portrayed, engaging and just all-around pleasant to watch.
The soundtrack is also great. And the basketball scenes are believable and integrated with the plot. There’s absolutely a case for this among the greatest basketball movies of all time, but again, definitely one of the best basketball movies on Hulu.
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
White Men Can’t Jump follows two street-ball hustlers, played by Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, as they team up to compete in a high-stakes basketball tournament.
Of course, as they hustle each other, they quickly discover that they are only hustling themselves.
It’s great. It’s a classic. The film was a box-office success upon its release in 1992. It’s often overlooked, but the legacy thrives. It’s essentially a buddy flick, but breaks with formula enough to provide a few unexpected turns. It is quite well written and portrayed. Plus, the basketball is engaging. The anxiety of the free throw showdown resides rent-free in my mind to present day.
Hoosiers (1986)
Hoosiers is a classic sports drama about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team and their hard ass new coach.
Coach Norman Dale, played by Gene Hackman, finds himself with a shot at redemption in a small town. He grapples with a troubled player, a citizenry that are set in their ways, and his own turbulent temper but he makes the best of it all on the way to the state championships.
Hoosiers was nominated for two Academy Awards, so certainly well-received by critics. And it maintains a solid 88% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s a good one. Many would say the best on the list. I know for a fact that this iconic basketball movie has spoken to a wide range of aspiring hoopers in the years since its release.
White Men Can’t Jump (2023)
On first viewing, I have to admit, this reboot of the 1992 classic stands alone. We’ll get to that momentarily, but let’s first play the comparison game.
The old screenplay is objectively better: tighter, more subtle, and of course original. But the flow and pace of the reboot is remarkable. Where the old one is, at least in my mind, a beloved classic, the newcomer is just perfectly watchable. And that’s as much as I feel comfortable asking from a streaming reboot.
So what, if anything new, does the reboot bring to the table? What do we get here that we didn’t get from Woody and Snipes?
Well, we get an environment that’s maybe a bit more teen drama than basketball deadbeat. With that, come characters that are less realistic, and yet more likable. And we definitely get a more exciting, modern brand of basketball.
Is it a good movie? I dunno, probably not really. But it is a very watchable movie, and it is about basketball, other than racism.
Uncle Drew (2018)
Uncle Drew, the character, was created by Kyrie Irving for a series of Pepsi commercials in 2012. Kyrie suits up as an old dude (a la Jackass) and hustles basketball.
And it’s entertaining enough to watch the man fooling with his handles. The movie is not exactly well-loved though. But for basketball fans, and Kyrie fans (if there are any left at this point) it works.
This film also features appearances from Shaq and Nick Kroll. So that’s cool I guess.
Space Jam (1996)
A straight classic from my generation. And I’ll give it its due, but truth be told, I don’t love it. Still, it is truly beloved by many, and so certainly warrants inclusion on this list of the best basketball movies on Hulu today.
Space Jam came out in 1996 and stars Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Bill Murray and Bugs Bunny.
In terms of plot, the great and powerful Air Jordan as he teams up with the Looney Tunes to play a game of basketball against a group of aliens.
This flick was a box office hit, but with a 63% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 43% on the tomato-meter, it seems I’m not alone in suggesting that it survives mostly on a steady diet of nostalgia.
You can also catch Space Jam on HBOMax or whatever they wanna call their streaming service these days.
Life Without Basketball (2019)
A documentary examining the first D1 basketball player to play wearing a hijab. I haven’t watched this one yet, but I’ll get to it soon.
Takeaways
If you haven’t seen any of those top 3, get to it. You’re obviously interested enough to get to the very end of a blog post about the best basketball movies on Hulu, so you might as well get to watchin’.
Also, maybe try checking out some of my other posts, cuz again, if you’ve managed to make it this far, you obviously like basketball. And if you have Hulu, you very likely have the ESPN and Disney+ bundle. So if you didn’t find what you’re looking for, you might try…