Best Basketball Documentaries on Netflix
Netflix, long-known for its wide collection of nostalgic shows and movies, has recently made a concerted effort and push into more original shows, movies, and even documentaries.
With the rise of rival sites and streaming services such as HBO Max, Disney+, and Peacock, Netflix has been forced to adapt to the changing streaming landscape by offering wider selections and more original programming.
And one such way that Netflix has begun to differentiate itself from its competitors is via documentaries.
Netflix, long the king of streaming services, has begun to produce and purchase a slew of documentaries, ranging from nature, to true-crime, to sports.
Below, however, we are going to look at the absolute best basketball documentaries on Netflix.
These basketball and NBA documentaries are only and exclusively available on Netflix and are not only well-produced but multiple hours long, meaning that you’ll have plenty to watch and binge on for days to come.
Looking for additional NBA and basketball documentaries? Definitely check out our review on the best basketball documentaries on YouTube.
The Last Dance
We would be remiss to not include The Last Dance as the absolute best basketball documentary on Netflix. A 10-part docu-series, The Last Dance was co-produced by both Netflix and ESPN Films.
Directed by Jason Hehir, The Last Dance follows the life and carer of Michael Jordan and his time with the Chicago Bulls.
Featuring exclusive, never-before-seen footage obtained by a film crew that had an all-access pass to the Bulls, many of the interviews are raw and intimate and include former NBA stars, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, and Phil Jackson.
Untold: Malice at the Palace
Untold: Malice at the Palace is a 2021 American documentary film made for Netflix and directed by Floyd Russ.
The film is the first installment in the five-part Untold: documentary film series and focuses on the infamous brawl that occurred between fans and NBA players during the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons game at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004.
The film was released on August 10, 2021 and is masterfully done, showcasing the sequence of events which led to the fight and the aftermath for both the players and fans involved.
Tony Parker: The Final Shot
While many basketball and NBA fans tend to focus on the bigger, larger-than-life stars such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant, few players have made as much of an impact on the international game as Tony Parker.
An intimate look at Parker’s life and career, and the massive impact he made on the French game, Tony Parker: The Final Shot does a phenomenal job showcasing his rise from the French basketball league to the NBA and his overall impact to the game on the international stage.
A Kid From Coney Island
Following the life of former NBA player Stephon Marbury, A Kid From Coney Island is an intimate look into the rise, fall, and rebirth of one of the most prolific and gifted NBA players of all-time.
Showcasing his life as a kid in Coney Island to his ascension to the NBA, A Kid From Coney Island is a vivid and heartbreaking basketball documentary that examines the pitfalls so many NBA players face and how Marbury navigated, and eventually overcame, those same obstacles.
One in a Billion
One in a Billion follows the life and journey of Satnam Singh Bhamara from his home of Ballo Ke, a farming village in rural India, to the lights of New York City as he tries to become the first Indian born player drafted to the NBA.
In a country of 1.3 billion people and in a sport with billions of fans worldwide, there has yet to be a single Indian-born player drafted in the NBA. However, this doesn’t deter Satnam Singh Bhamara, as he attempts to make his dream a reality.
The Playbook – Doc Rivers: A Coach’s Rules For Life
In this Netflix documentary series, The Playbook, elite sports coaches from the NBA to the tennis court to the soccer pitch, share their playbooks for success, in sports and in life.
Episode 1 features Doc Rivers, an NBA veteran. The documentary follows Doc Rivers’ life as a kid and his success as an NBA coach, where he provides fans with his top-5 philosophies for being successful in both basketball and life.
Bad Sport
Six stories are presented in this Netflix documentary which showcase the intersection of sports and crime, as told by the athletes, coaches and law enforcement officials at the centre of the controversies.
With the first mini-documentary titled ‘Hoop Schemes‘, it follows a gambler and the players involved in the 1994 Arizona State basketball point-shaving scandal and describes, in vivid detail, both how and why they plotted to fix games for a massive payout.
Basketball or Nothing
This docuseries on Netflix follows the Chinle High basketball team in Arizona’s Navajo Nation on a quest to win a state championship and bring pride to the isolated community.
Emotional and jarring, Basketball or Nothing follows the young men as they attempt to bring home the state championship and the criticisms, obstacles, and challenges they face at nearly every turn of the road.