Movies like That Championship Season (1982)
The best movies like That Championship Season (1982) are Amateur (2018), Above the Rim (1994) and Hands of Stone (2016). If That Championship Season hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAbove the Rim (1994)7.1/10 from 251 votes
- NewestPRACTICE (2026)Released 2026
Amateur (2018)
14-year-old basketball phenom Terron Forte has to navigate the under-the-table world of amateur athletics when he is recruited to an elite NCAA prep school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbove the Rim (1994)
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJungleland (2020)
Stanley manages his boxer brother Lion but when a devastating loss in the ring leaves the pair in debt, an opportunity to recoup the cash leads to a series of misadventures that threaten to break the bond between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHardball (2001)
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Trials of Cate McCall (2013)
In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll Day and a Night (2020)
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Safety of Objects (2002)
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisImperial Dreams (2014)
A 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Am Elizabeth Smart (2017)
The story of Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping and captivity, as told from her perspective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLorelei (2020)
A man is released from prison after 15 years. He reunites with his high school girlfriend, now a single mother of three. What follows is a lyrical take on love, regret and second chances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBroke (2025)
A bronc rider in denial about his fading rodeo career battles against brain injury and a sudden blizzard while reflecting on how it became so difficult to achieve his dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cut (2025)
A retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal weight-cutting program.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisTrue Colors (1991)
Two law school friends find themselves at odds when one becomes a Justice Department lawyer and the other goes into politics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJawbone (2017)
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner Bill corner man Eddie and promoter Joe. Back in training, years after anyone thought he was a contender, he risks his life, as he tries to stand tall and regain his place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJane Got a Gun (2015)
After her outlaw husband returns home shot with eight bullets and barely alive, Jane reluctantly reaches out to an ex-lover who she hasn't seen in over ten years to help her defend her farm when the time comes that her husband's gang eventually tracks him down to finish the job.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisLockdown (2000)
Avery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBastard Out of Carolina (1996)
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPRACTICE (2026)
On a summer afternoon, a young man practices basketball on the court in his residential complex. Through repetition, his frustration and anger—stemming from his inability to be perfect at the sport—begin to surface. Eventually, he comes to the realization that his focus should not be on achieving perfection, but rather on making progressive improvements to become the best version of himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
We Are Champions (2019)
Bonded by blood but divided by basketball, two brothers become rivals on the court. This exciting sports film balances drama on and off the court.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The King of South Beach (2022)
"The King of South Beach" is a documentary evaluating LeBron James' time as a member of the Miami Heat - his controversial announcement, his title wins, and his ultimate departure.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sweetwater (2023)
In 1990 Chicago, a taxi driver recounts to his passenger, a sportswriter, his life story. He reveals himself to be Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, one of the first African Americans to play in the NBA.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Basketball and Mathematics (2009)
Jérôme and Cédric play basketball in the same team at school and are best friends. Jérôme also gives Cédric some private math lessons. During one of those sessions, Cédric's action will be interpreted by both young men in a different way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Bring it Home (2026)
After months of silence, two old friends reunite for an overdue game of basketball.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ball (2020)
Ball is a short film Inspired by the late Kobe Bryant. It shows the story of a boy who grew up watching Kobe play.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Americanized (2021)
As her sophomore year of high school comes to an end, Eng tries to find a sense of belonging within the two worlds that don't accept her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Against All Odds (2022)
Younus does not give up! Fascination is glued to the strange but familiar father figure and mixed up with a growing longing for real intimacy. Cautiously testing and expanding boundaries, Younus is playing a risky game. When the tension finally unloads, he questions the deeper foundation of the fragile relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like That Championship Season?
The closest matches to That Championship Season are Amateur (2018), Above the Rim (1994) and Hands of Stone (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after That Championship Season?
Start with Amateur (2018), the closest match to That Championship Season.
What is the highest-rated movie like That Championship Season?
Above the Rim (1994), rated 7.1/10 by 251 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like That Championship Season?
PRACTICE (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like That Championship Season?
Yes: Amateur (2018), Above the Rim (1994) and Hands of Stone (2016).
How are movies similar to That Championship Season chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside That Championship Season, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.