Hoop Dreams (1994)

★ 7.6 2h 54m 328 votes IMDb
Documentary

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.

Hoop Dreams

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Cast

William Gates
William Gates as Self Age 54 · Chicago, Illinois, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Gates (28 December 1971 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former high school and college basketball player and a subject of the 1994 Kartemquin Films...
Steve James
Steve James as Narrator (voice) Age 68 · Hampton, Virginia, USA Steve James is an American film producer and director of several documentaries, including the award-winning Hoop Dreams and Stevie. He is also the director of the 1997 feature film Prefontaine. His ne...
Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale as Self Age 86 · Passaic, New Jersey, USA Richard John "Dick" Vitale, also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known as a college basketball broadc...
Bobby Knight
Bobby Knight as Self Died 2023 · Massillon, Ohio, USA Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former college basketball coach. Often referred to as "Bobby Knight" and nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's c...
Spike Lee
Spike Lee as Self Age 69 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American filmmaker and actor. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contempo...
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas as Self Age 64 · Chicago, Illinois, USA Isiah Lord Thomas III, also known as "Zeke," is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for NBA TV. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Play...
Director Steve James
Cast William Gates, Arthur Agee, Gene Pingatore, Steve James, Dick Vitale, Bobby Knight, Spike Lee, Isiah Thomas

Audience Reviews

kineticandroid Jun 29, 2014
That all-consuming drive towards being a professional athlete eats away at two inner-city Chicago boys and their families. And yet, they still find time to celebrate the little victories along the way, keeping this film from diving too much into an exploration in futility, and more of a life-affirming exploration of the nature of dreams.

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