Hoop Dreams (1994) on Netflix
PG-1319942h 50m
In 1987, a scout recruits Chicago teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee for the basketball program at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois. Both dream of playing in the NBA.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb8.3/1029,821 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes98%
Trailer
Plot summary
William Gates and Arthur Agee are teenagers who grow up in Chicago's poor African-American neighborhoods. In 1987, a scout recruits both of them to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a mostly white school known for its basketball program. The Cabrini-Green projects are home to Gates, and Agee's family lives in West Garfield Park. Each boy travels 90 minutes to the school and 90 minutes back. Both want to reach the NBA, and their families support the effort. Gene Pingatore coaches the team, as he did when Isiah Thomas played there. In their freshman year Gates earns a place on the varsity, while Agee, on the freshman squad, has trouble on the court and in class.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Hoop Dreams (1994)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Hoop Dreams was originally planned as a 30-minute PBS short, but the project expanded to five years of filming and 250 hours of footage.
- After Hoop Dreams and Crumb were passed over for Best Documentary, public outcry led to a revised nomination process in that category, led by Oscar-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple.
- The filmmakers continued filming in the Agee home even after the electricity was turned off, and they provided money off-camera to have the lights turned back on.
- The producers gave William Gates and Arthur Agee almost $200,000 in royalties from Hoop Dreams, but NCAA rules barred them from accepting the money until after college.
- In 2001, William Gates practiced with Michael Jordan before a tryout with the Washington Wizards, but he fractured his foot and retired from basketball permanently.
- Agee, the younger of the two basketball players, started a foundation for inner-city youth higher education and launched the "Hoop Dreams" sportswear line in 2006.
