march30–april12, 2020 | newyork 71A greatbasketballmovie
androm-comallinone,the
2000 directorialdebutby
GinaPrince-Bythewood
tracksneighborsand
skilledbasketballplayers,
playedbySanaaLathan
andOmarEpps,ontheir
journeysasromanticpart-
nersandshot-makersseek-
ingcareersonthecourt.Basketball (^) ❑
(and Other Things)^
By Shea Serrano
Serrano followed his The
RapYearBook with this
collection,which addresses
importantnagging ques-
tionsaboutpro-basketball
historylike “What Year
WasMichaelJordan the
BestVersionof Michael
Jordan?”and“If 1997 Karl
Maloneanda Bear
SwappedPlaces for a
Season, Who Would Be
More Successful?”
Basketball (^) ❑
or Nothing
Available on
Netflix
An easy binge at only six
episodes, the Netflix docu-
series introduces viewers to
the determined young men
on the Chinle High School
basketball team, located
in Arizona’s Navajo Nation.
Its positive messages and
TV-PG rating make it a
good choice for those seek-
ing things to watch with
kids stuck at home during
school closings.
ofanastrologist (Chan-
ning)andtriestochangeits
fortunesbyonlyputtingin
playerswhoarePisces.It’s
thebasketball-meets-horo-
scopedisco-soundtracked
moviethatliterallynoone
askedforandthat mightbe
themost’70spieceofpop
cultureeverproduced.
TheHeart ❑
of theGame
Availableon
YouTube,
AmazonPrime,
GooglePlay,Vudu,
iTunes
Therearenot nearly
enoughmovies about girls
andwomen who play bas-
ketball,which makes this
2005 documentary that
muchmore of a gem. The
filmfollows the Roosevelt
Roughriders, a Seattle high-
schoolteam, as it attempts
towina coveted state title,
focusingin particular on
oneofitsstar players, Dar-
nelliaRussell, whotriesto
ge t backinto the game after
havinga child. Like thebest
sportsstories, it’s about
morethan just basketball,
andit’ s guaranteed to
inducesome tears.
Love and (^) ❑
Basketball
Available on
YouTube,
AmazonPrime,
GooglePlay,Vudu,
iTunes
Oneofthegreatest docu-
mentariesofalltime,period,
is alsothebestbasketball
movieevermade.Director
SteveJamestrainsthecam-
era ontwoyoungChicago
high-schoolplayers,Wil-
liamGatesandArthurAgee,
andfollowstheirstruggles
bothonandoffthecourt.
It ’s a three-hourepicabout
theloveandfalsepromises
thatbasketballoffersthese
youngmenaswellasthe
economicandracialissues
theyfaceaspoorblackkids
travelinglongdistancesto
at tendprivateschool.Every
sportsdocumentarysince
owesit anenormousdebt.
30 for (^30) ❑
AvailableonESPN+
ESPN’s docuserieshasmul-
tiplegreatinstallments
focusedonbasketball,both
collegeandpro.Withnot
muchelsehappeninginthe
sportsworld,ESPNhas
beensprinklinginstall-
mentsintoitsregularpro-
gramming,butyoucanalso
streamepisodesandshorts.
A fewrelevantrecommen-
dations:“PatXO,”thetrib-
utetolegendary LadyVols
coachPat Summitt;
“There’sNo PlaceLike
Home,” whichfollowsthe
at tempttoreturnthe
foundingdocumentofbas-
ketball,JamesNaismith’s
ru me -
sa usl
“I HateChristianLaettner,”
whichexploresthelove-
haterelationshipwiththe
GloryRoad ❑
Streamingon
Disney+
It ’s amazinghowfew fea-
turefilmshaveusedMarch
Madnessasa backdrop.
ThisDisney film—basedon
therealstory ofcoachDon
Haskins(JoshLucas)and
his 1966 TexasWestern
Collegeteam,whichfea-
turedthefirst all-black
startinglineupinNCAA
history—prettymuch
standsalone.Yes,it’s a little
formulaic,buta feel-good
story may bejust what the
metaphoricaldoctor
orderedrightnow.(Thelit-
eral doctoris toobusyto
orderJoshLucasmovies
foryou.)Plus,watching
Haskinsandhiscrew shock
Kentuckyanditsracist
coach,AdolphRupp,
playedwithzerosubtlety
byJonVoight,is always
verysatisfying.
HoopDreams ❑
Availableon
HBO Go, Amazon
Primeor Hulu
withHBO
subscription
Fill the
Basketball Void
march madness was canceled, along with the NBA. Here, ten basketball-related
series, films, and books that (kind of ) make up for it. (I have not included the
TV show The White Shadow because it’s not streaming anywhere, unfortunately.
Please know that if it were streaming, I would have.) BY JEN CHANEY
former Duke star and Duke
ingeneral.
MyLosing (^) ❑
Season
by Pat Conroy
If you’ve already read every
JohnFeinstein March
Madness book and are itch-
ingfor another b-ball read,
try this beautifully written
memoir from The Prince
ofTides author, which
recountshisnotentirely
successful season as player
forThe Citadel in the ’60s.
Survivor’s (^) ❑
Remorse
Available on
Starz, Hulu and
Amazon Prime
with Starz
subscription
ThisStarz comedy, pro-
duced by LeBron James, is
anentertaining look at the
lifeofCam Calloway (Jessie
T. Usher), a brand-new
NBAplayer adjusting to life
intheleague—and with a
lotmore wealth, something
hisextended family takes
advantage of. The series ran
forfour seasons, so there
areplenty of episodes to
watch, and they get more
nuanced as they progress.
TheFish That (^) ❑
Saved Pittsburgh
Available on
YouTube,
Amazon Prime,
GooglePlay,
Vudu, iTunes
Thisis the most absurd
basketball movie ever made,
andI love it madly for just
ulius Erving
Channing
starin a comedy about a
flailing Pittsburgh NBA
teamthat takes the advice
PHOTOGRAPHS: