Above the Rim poster

Above the Rim

Front-Runner Starts strong, fades late
1994 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · Jeff Pollack

The front-runner pattern fits Above the Rim: strong in the opening rounds, shakier as the field thins. The 62% overall rate reflects a film that capitalizes on soft draws. Tupac's screen presence and a street-level basketball story that never left the 90s. Bracket appeal runs through nostalgia for an era and a performer, not through the film's craft credentials. Fans decide quickly — 1.3s avg vs 3.5s platform average.

Synopsis

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.

Round 1
68.8%
Where it thrives
Semifinals
68.2%
15/22
Finals
40%

The 29-point gap between opening round and final tells the story. Above the Rim wins when the bracket field is wide; when it narrows to the best, the margins flip.

Semi-Pro at 50% is as close to a dead heat as the platform produces. Every vote matters in this one. Love & Basketball is the easy matchup at 88%. The Basketball Diaries is the kryptonite at 0%. The gap between best and worst opponent says a lot about what Above the Rim can and can't handle.

Closest Rival
Dominates
Kryptonite

In Basketball Movie Madness Part II - The Snubs, Above the Rim dominates The 6th Man (69%) in round one, edges Air Bud 57–43% in the semifinals, edges Semi-Pro 50–50% in the final. The final is too close to call.

BingeBracket Record
62%
Win Rate
#2 of 28 in Crime #8 of 45 from the 1990s
Scores based on real fan votes in head-to-head brackets. 50% = wins as often as it loses — perfectly average.
Featured Tournament

Ranked #1 in Basketball Movie Madness Part II - The Snubs.

Deserved? Vote to keep it there.

Above the Rim #1
The Basketball Diaries #2
Air Bud #3
Blue Chips #4
Semi-Pro #5
Inside Moves #6
Love & Basketball #7
The 6th Man #8
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About These Rankings

BingeBracket ranks films through head-to-head matchups in 8-film brackets — no star ratings, no reviews, just direct comparison. Browse tournaments, try Discovery mode, or explore the leaderboards. You can also .