An Extraordinary True Story.
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 (1994) is a documentary film directed by Steve James, released on September 12, 1994 with a runtime of 2h 54m. It stars William Gates, Arthur Agee, Gene Pingatore and Steve James. Viewers rate it 7.6 out of 10 across 342 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Hoop Dreams before you stream it.
William Gates
as Self
Arthur Agee
as Self
Gene Pingatore
as Self
Steve James
as Narrator (voice)
Dick Vitale
as Self
Bobby Knight
as Self
Spike Lee
as Self
Isiah Thomas
as Self
Directed by Steve James, written by Steve James and Frederick Marx, produced by Steve James, Peter Gilbert and Frederick Marx.
Average viewer score of 7.6/10 from 342 ratings.
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.
Reviewed on June 29, 2014
2025
2022
2006
2017
2016
2025
2025
2022
2018
2019
2022
2022
2013
2015
2020
2016
2025
2016
2001
2021
2003
1968
2006
1972
2017
2011
2021
2016
2008
2008
2021
1938
1938
2010
2021
2019
2025
2014
1924
1971
Hoop Dreams (1994) is available to stream on fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max and Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Hoop Dreams (1994) includes William Gates, Arthur Agee, Gene Pingatore, Steve James and Dick Vitale. The film was directed by Steve James. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Hoop Dreams was released on September 12, 1994 and runs for 2h 54m.
Hoop Dreams (1994) holds an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 from 342 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy documentary films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Hoop Dreams trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
