Follow the Bouncing Ball: Basketball Movies Quiz

Answer:

"Uncle Drew", "Like Mike", "The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh" and "Space Jam" all feature NBA players. "Uncle Drew" (2018) is a comedy starring Kyrie Irvin as an old man putting together a streetball team. It features four other NBA players as well as WNBA star Lisa Leslie. "Like Mike" (2002) is a movie about a young boy who finds basketball talent when he finds a pair of shoes that belonged to Michael Jordan. Although over a dozen NBA players make a cameo appearance, Jordan is not in the movie. "The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh" (1979) was a comedy about a professional bad basketball team whose fortunes change when the ballboy uses astrology to turn the team into a winner. It starred NBA star Julius Irving and featured other NBA stars as well as sportscasters and coaches connected to the game. A similar movie which starred Michael Jordan was "Space Jam" (1996). It also included animation featuring many Looney Toons cartoon characters. Other NBA players appearing included Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing.

"Glory Road" (2006) was a drama that told the story of the 1966 NCAA college championship won by Texas Western University (now Texas-El Paso). The drama deals with racism as Texas Western has a majority of African-American players on their team. Under the direction of Coach Don Haskins, the team overcomes many obstacles to win the national championship.

"The Air up There" (1994) is a comedy that also deals with college basketball. Starring Kevin Bacon, the movie deals with the pressure of finding talented players when Bacon goes to Africa to recruit a player. Though humorous, the film also deals with some serious issues like overcoming cultural issues in relationships.

"Coach Carter" (2005) tells the story of real-life high school basketball coach Ken Carter and his desire to use basketball to help his players excel academically. "Hoosiers" (1986) may be the best-known basketball movie. Starring Gene Hackman, it tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school that, against tremendous odds, wins the state championship.

"Air Bud" (1997) is about a basketball plying dog and "White Boys Can't Jump" (1992, and a remake in 2023) is a comedy that explores the life of a streetball hustler.

"Moneyball", "The Benchwarmers", "A League of Their Own", "The Natural" and "Everybody Wants Some" are all baseball movies.