In a blockbuster performance deserving of Hollywood, the Los Angeles Lakers added the latest sequel to their championship legacy behind their leading man, Finals MVP Kobe Bryant. In the series billed as Disneyland vs. Disney World, the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals
In the late 1990s, DJ Set Free, had the idea to set some streetball highlights to a soundtrack of emerging rap music. The results culminated in the And1 Mixtape, a series of VHS tapes that forever transformed the game of basketball.
The Book of Kobe Bryant is an original, full-length documentary centered around the life and career of the late basketball legend. It is made up of four chapters, each of which focus on a specific notable aspect of his journey in the NBA.
The meteoric ascension of the Big East conference, and how in less than a decade, it became the most successful college basketball league in America.
One of the most important Kentuckians of the 20th century, Harry Caudill brought the story of Appalachia to national attention when his book “Night Comes to the Cumberlands” was released in 1963. The nonfiction account of Eastern Kentucky’s coal region, part history and part polemic, eloquently recounted the exploitation of Appalachia’s land and its people by business and government interests, and made Caudill a national spokesperson for his homeland. Harry Caudill spent his life advocating for Eastern Kentucky, with the aim of helping the powerless as well as securing the region’s unmatched natural resources for future generations. His work led to lasting government reforms for Appalachia, and his legacy remains a touchstone for activists today.
This documentary profiles the life and career of Pat Summitt, the NCAA's winningest basketball coach, who resigned from her post at the University of Tennessee in 2012 due to early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Reggie Miller single-handedly crushed the hearts of Knick fans multiple times. But it was the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals that solidified Miller as Public Enemy #1 in New York City. With moments to go in Game 1, and facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit of 105-99, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to give his Indiana Pacers an astonishing victory. This career-defining performance, combined with his give-and-take with Knicks fan Spike Lee, made Miller and the Knicks a highlight of the 1995 NBA playoffs. Peabody Award-winning director Dan Klores will explore how Miller proudly built his legend as "The Garden's Greatest Villain".
This nostalgic sports documentary captures the New York Knicks at the height of their golden era during the 1970s, revealing in the process a singularly gifted and inspired team revered by its fans.
Tensions between the USSR and the United States were high in 1959, with the seemingly constant threat of nuclear war. Then some unlikely ambassadors stepped forward to clear all that away: the Harlem Globetrotters. From Harlem With Love is the story of how a group of barnstorming basketball players traveled to the heart of the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War and bridged a cultural gap many thought would stand forever.
This documentary follows NBA superstar LeBron James and four of his talented teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Ohio and James' journey to fame.
This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastover's refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television in 2004.
"Through the Fire" chronicles the journey of Coney Island basketball star, Sebastian Telfair, from famed Lincoln High School straight to the NBA.
The Heart of the Game captures the passion and energy of a Seattle high school girls' basketball team as they strive to win the state championship, the eccentricity of their unorthodox coach, and the incredible true story of one player's fight to play the game she loves.
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
The Year of the Yao is a documentary film telling the first year of basketball player Yao Ming in the United States.
The Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s and early '90s seemed willing to do anything to win. That characteristic made them loved — and hated. It earned them the title: Bad Boys.
Years after serving time for betting on games he officiated, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy revisits the scandal that shook up the league.
A documentary following Kobe Bryant during one day of the 2008 NBA playoffs.
From season ending injuries to a last place finish, it seemed like the Golden State Warriors were far from the dynasty that had taken the NBA by storm for the early part of a decade. As the rest of the basketball world moved on to the next contender, Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors continued working, just waiting for the opportunity to once again have their core healthy and sharing the court together again. This is the story of how Stephen Curry would once and for all cement himself as one of the NBA's all-time greats, with a memorable Finals MVP performance that earned him his fourth ring.
Born on Halloween, 1935, Dale Brown's fight for justice began the day his father walked out - two days before he was born. About how an overachiever from tiny Minot, North Dakota relentlessly fought his way to the top.