50 Best Sports Movies Ever

20. He Got Game

Year: 1998
Sport: Basketball
Starring: Ray Allen, Denzel Washington, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper, Zelda Harris
Director: Spike Lee

There’s no fan more famous in the world of basketball than New York Knicks supporter Spike Lee. One could make a case for Jack Nicholson, and I won’t sit here and argue, but Lee has sat through thick and thin with the Knicks, both on the road and at Madison Square Garden.

In 1998, Lee turned his love of basketball into one of the most powerful sports films on this 50-film list: He Got Game.

Ray Allen’s acting debut was a smash hit, and his character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, remains prevalent in modern day sports film discussions. The NBA’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made holds his own as an actor, which was a tall task given the prolific nature of his co-star.

Starring as Allen’s father in the film is two-time Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth.

From start to finish, the story pulls at viewers’ emotional strings and forces them to feel both sympathy for and disappointment in almost all characters at one point or another.

The film is centered around Allen’s character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, and his hectic year as the No. 1 high school basketball in the country. Washington’s character attempts to convince his son to go to the state governor’s alma mater, which would thus result in Jake Shuttlesworth’s early release from prison.

Between Allen’s surprisingly strong acting, Washington’s expectedly powerful performance, and Lee’s great writing, He Got Game is unquestionably one of the 50 greatest sports films of all-time.

Next: 19. Caddyshack