Disney is not shy about their inclination towards gripping athletic tales. Sports movies are a huge part of the company's live-action legacy, with theatrical works and Disney Channel movies depicting all kinds of sporting events. Kids who played sports growing up naturally gravitated towards movies in this genre, and adults love to cheer on the teams, too.
Basketball is an exciting game to watch, and Disney has presented it in many different ways over the years. Ranked by their IMDb scores, here are all the basketball movies to check out on Disney+ (except Air Bud, which isn't there).
High School Musical 3: 4.8
The third and final High School Musical movie, Senior Year, was the only one to go to theaters (and is the one with the lowest rating). This movie heavily emphasizes the importance of basketball to Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth.
The best friends are ready to play ball at the college level, but Troy has Gabriella and his music career to think about. In a sweeping story of prom, theatre rehearsals, and decisions about the future, the Wildcats sing their way through high school one last time.
High School Musical 2: 5.0
The second High School Musical film puts less attention on school and more on summer, but basketball is still a big deal. Troy and Chad are starting to explore their college options, and Sharpay tries to make Troy's life easier while sabotaging everyone else from East High.
The diva gives Troy her family's special country club treatment, showering him with important basketball opportunities and flashy music rehearsals. It would have been nice to see the movie explore baseball a little more after the "I Don't Dance" number.
Air Bud: 5.2
From the mind of creator Aaron Mendelsohn, the first Air Bud movie grew into a massive doggy franchise. The early movies feature the sports adventures of Buddy the Golden Retriever. The plot follows a young boy whose father has just passed away as he finds comfort in having Buddy on his team.
High School Musical: 5.4
The first High School Musical movie establishes that basketball will be very important to the story. Troy Bolton is a baller before he is a performer, and as much as he loves singing, he doesn't want to give up his game, either.
This movie gave fans "Get'cha Head in the Game," combining basketball, music, and dance in a creative and surprising way. Looking back on it, High School Musical was clearly influenced by other DCOMs, but it has held its own.
Full-Court Miracle: 5.8
Full-Court Miracle (2003) is the third Disney Channel basketball movie. In this one, African-American former basketball star Lamont Carr is met with a flailing youth basketball team.
The Jewish players convince Carr to coach them, and they draw parallels between Lamont and heroic Judah from the Hebrew text of the Maccabees. The team grows stronger thanks to their coach, and their story makes up the only Disney movie centered on Judaism.
Double Teamed: 6.1
Double Teamed is the second original with a basketball focus. The DCOM is based on real-life WNBA players Heather and Heidi Burge, their concerned mother, and their controlling father. Heidi and Heather are twins, but their personalities are incredibly different.
Heidi is committed to sports no matter what, first showing herself to be a driven volleyball player, then turning basketball into her life. Heather likes to play sports, but she also wants to maintain a social life and try new things, like Drama Club. Though heavy on the bossy sports dad trope, this movie still comes out on top and is a nostalgic favorite for so many millennials.
The Luck Of The Irish: 6.2
The Luck of the Irish is one of Ryan Merriman's best DCOMs. (In all honesty, all three are great.) The 2001 movie is unlike any Disney Channel film that came before it. The sports DCOM genre was beginning to pick up speed, but no basketball movies had been made for the channel yet.
Merriman plays Kyle Johnson, a teen who has no clue that he has an Irish heritage. He finds out that he is a leprechaun just in time for his school's Heritage Day, but not before the Soaring Eagles basketball player must face off against Seamus, an evil leprechaun who stole Kyle's lucky coin.
The Absent-Minded Professor: 6.8
Fred MacMurray (of the classic sitcom My Three Sons) stars in the original version of Flubber (1997), 1961's The Absent-Minded Professor. The old Disney movie still makes use of Professor Brainard's scientific experiments, especially Flubber.
The basketball scene is much more drawn out in this movie than it is in the 1990s remake. Watching the players bounce high into the sky from their Flubber-ized shoes is hilarious, showing an impressive special effects department for the time.
Glory Road: 7.2
As with several other Disney sports movies, Glory Road tells a true story of playing ball and combatting racism. The movie sees Don Haskins (played by Josh Lucas) coaching the basketball team of a small Texas college in the 1960s.
The team is the first to ever have an entirely African-American lineup, and they go on to win the 1966 NCAA Tournament Championship Game against Kentucky.