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{{short description|1994 American documentary film}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Hoop Dreams
| image          = Hoop dreamsposter.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Steve James (film producer)|Steve James]]
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Frederick Marx]] 
* Steve James
}}
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Frederick Marx
* Steve James
* [[Peter Gilbert (filmmaker)|Peter Gilbert]]
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[William Gates (basketball)|William Gates]]
* [[Arthur Agee]]
}}
| cinematography = Peter Gilbert
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* Frederick Marx
* Steve James
* William Haugse
}}
| music          = [[Ben Sidran]]
| studio         = [[Kartemquin Films]]
| distributor    = [[Fine Line Features]]
| released       = {{Film date|1994|10|14|United States}}
| runtime        = 171 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 170:46--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/AVF065540 | title=''Hoop Dreams'' (12) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |date=March 28, 1995 |access-date=November 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506170217/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/hoop-dreams-1970-0 | archive-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $700,000<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hoop-Dreams |title=Hoop Dreams |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428040115/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hoop-Dreams |url-status=live }}</ref>
| gross          = $11.8 million
}}
'''''Hoop Dreams''''' is a 1994 American [[documentary film]] directed by [[Steve James (film producer)|Steve James]], and produced by [[Frederick Marx]], James, and [[Peter Gilbert (filmmaker)|Peter Gilbert]], with [[Kartemquin Films]]. It follows the story of two African-American high school students, [[William Gates (basketball)|William Gates]] and [[Arthur Agee]], in [[Chicago]] and their dream of becoming professional [[basketball]] players.

''Hoop Dreams'' was originally intended to be a 30-minute [[short film]] produced for [[PBS]]; the filming of the special led to five years of filming and 250 hours of footage. ''Hoop Dreams'' premiered at the 1994 [[Sundance Film Festival]], where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It won numerous other awards in the 1994 season, although it was not nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]], which led to a massive public outcry. Despite its length (171 minutes) and unlikely commercial genre, it received high critical and popular acclaim, and grossed over $11 million worldwide.

''Hoop Dreams'' was ranked #1 on the [[Current TV]] special ''[[50 Documentaries to See Before You Die]]''. In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The [[International Documentary Association]]'s members ranked ''Hoop Dreams'' as the [[List of films considered the best#Documentary|best documentary of all time]] in 2007.<ref name="IDA">{{cite web|url=http://www.documentary.org/content/top-25-docs|title=IDA's Top 25 Documentaries|first=Thomas|last=White|publisher=[[Documentary.org]]|date=December 2007|access-date=January 9, 2012|archive-date=November 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129083022/http://www.documentary.org/content/top-25-docs|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Synopsis==
In 1987, [[William Gates (basketball)|William Gates]] and [[Arthur Agee]], two [[African-American]] teenagers, are recruited by a scout from [[St. Joseph High School (Westchester, Illinois)|St. Joseph High School]] in [[Westchester, Illinois]], a predominantly [[White American|White]] high school with an outstanding basketball program. The team is led by [[Gene Pingatore]], who coached [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) Hall of Fame player [[Isiah Thomas]] when Thomas played at St. Joseph. Agee and Gates are both from poor [[African-American neighborhoods in Chicago]], Illinois: Gates lives in the [[Cabrini–Green]] projects, while Agee and his family reside in [[West Garfield Park, Chicago|West Garfield Park]]. Both boys face 90-minute commutes to the school each way.

In their freshman year, Gates starts on the varsity team at St. Joseph and helps them win the sectional title, earning a mention from ''[[The Sportswriters on TV]]'' as possibly "the next Isiah Thomas", although St. Joseph is eliminated in the super-sectionals in a narrow loss to [[St. Francis de Sales High School (Chicago, Illinois)|St. Francis de Sales High School]]. Meanwhile, Agee plays on the freshman team and struggles both on the court and in the classroom.

At the end of the year, Agee is kicked out of St. Joseph as his family is unable to pay his tuition; Gates's fees are covered by his sponsor, the president of [[Encyclopedia Britannica]], who also helps him find a [[White collar worker|white collar]] summer job. Agee's rejection from St. Joseph damages his self-confidence, and he plays poorly for the high school team at [[Marshall Metropolitan High School|John Marshall High School]], coached by Luther Bedford. In his sophomore year, Gates again starts on the varsity team. St. Joseph is eliminated by [[Gordon Tech]] in the sectional finals, and Gates struggles with the weight of expectations from his brother, Curtis, who was a talented player in his own right but never made it to the pros and has now transferred his unfulfilled aspirations onto his younger brother.

In their junior year, both boys face challenges. Gates suffers a knee injury that requires surgery and months of rehabilitation, while Arthur's mother, Sheila, loses her job and the family goes on [[welfare spending|welfare]] as Arthur's father, Bo, has walked out and become addicted to drugs. Bo later gives up drugs and returns to the family, and Sheila earns a nursing degree. During this time, the Agee household takes in Arthur's close friend, Shannon, who is escaping an abusive household.

On the court, Agee and John Marshall improve on their poor sophomore year record, including winning an upset victory over [[Dunbar Vocational High School]]. St. Joseph makes it to the sectional finals, where they once again face Gordon Tech. Gates plays timidly because of his injury. At the end of the fourth quarter, with seconds on the clock and trailing by one, St. Joseph wins two [[free throw]]s. Gates—normally a clutch free throw shooter—steps up to take them, but he misses both and St. Joseph is knocked out of the play-offs.

Despite his injury, Gates is courted by many college basketball programs, especially [[Marquette University]], and attends the [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] All-America summer camp at [[Princeton University|Princeton]] before his senior year (where [[Dick Vitale]] and [[Spike Lee]] make appearances). After returning from camp, Gates signs a [[National Letter of Intent|letter of intent]] with Marquette, though he struggles to meet the minimum [[ACT (test)|ACT]] test score to be eligible for an athletic scholarship. Meanwhile, Arthur, playing high school basketball in the [[Chicago Public High School League]], attracts far less attention from college recruiters, although a couple of [[junior college]]s show interest in him.

In Gates's senior year, St. Joseph's season concludes early in a second-round play-off loss against [[Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park, Illinois)|Nazareth Academy]], ending his hopes of "going [[Downstate Illinois|downstate]]" for the state championship. Gates had been benched by Coach Pingatore at the start of the game for arriving late. John Marshall goes on an unlikely run through the city championship, largely thanks to Agee's excellent play. The team makes it to the state championship in [[Champaign, Illinois|Champaign]], finishing third in the state after a semi-final loss to [[Manual High School (Peoria, Illinois)|Manual High School]].

At the end of the film, Gates has entered [[Marquette University]] in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], and Agee is attending [[Mineral Area College]] in [[Park Hills, Missouri]], and still hoping to play for the NBA.

==Production==
===Development===
The initial idea for "a film about the culture of basketball in the black community" came to director [[Steve James (film producer)|Steve James]], an amateur basketball player himself, in 1985 while watching basketball at the recreation center at [[Southern Illinois University]]. James reached out to his friend [[Frederick Marx]], then in [[China]] teaching English, who liked the idea. The two agreed that both of them would produce the film, James would direct, and Marx would edit. James thought of the title ''Hoop Dreams'' very early in the development process; they also briefly considered calling it ''Hoopin{{'}}''.<ref name="OralHistory">{{cite news |last=Guerrasio |first=Jason |url=https://thedissolve.com/features/oral-history/360-an-oral-history-of-hoop-dreams-20-years-after-its-/?page=all |title=An oral history of Hoop Dreams, 20 years after its première |newspaper=[[The Dissolve]] |date=January 15, 2014 |access-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407131846/https://thedissolve.com/features/oral-history/360-an-oral-history-of-hoop-dreams-20-years-after-its-/?page=all|archive-date=April 7, 2022}}</ref>

In 1987, James received a $2,000 fellowship grant from the [[Illinois Arts Council]] to work on the film. James and Marx then pitched their idea to [[Gordon Quinn]] of [[Kartemquin Films]]. Initially, they planned to focus on a single playground for a 30-minute documentary they hoped would be aired on [[PBS]]. Quinn liked the idea and agreed to take the project on. Unable to raise any money besides James's grant, the pair decided to shoot on video instead of film (an unusual choice for the time), and they hired [[Peter Gilbert (filmmaker)|Peter Gilbert]] to do [[cinematography]] as he had his own gear.<ref name="OralHistory" />

===Filming===
The filmmakers contacted coach [[Gene Pingatore]] of [[St. Joseph High School (Westchester, Illinois)|St. Joseph High School]] as he had coached Chicago native [[Isiah Thomas]] in high school. Pingatore introduced them to "Big Earl" Smith, a talent scout who was familiar with the inner-city playgrounds that the filmmakers wanted to shoot on. Smith brought them to several playgrounds, and at one of them he spotted a young [[Arthur Agee]] as a promising player. Agee agreed to be part of the film, and Smith helped arrange for him to attend Coach Pingatore's summer camp, where Thomas would be making an appearance.<ref name="OralHistory" />

When the filmmakers interviewed Pingatore about Agee, he said it was too early to tell about him, but mentioned that another kid, [[William Gates (basketball)|William Gates]], could be "the next Isiah Thomas". James, Marx, and Gilbert decided to include Gates in their film as well, and began to consider expanding the scope of their original vision.<ref name="OralHistory" />

For two years, the three filmmakers continued to shoot intermittently and send demos out without raising any additional money. [[KTCA]], a public television channel in [[Minnesota]], heard about the film, and pledged $60,000, plus another $70,000 from the [[Corporation for Public Broadcasting]], to fund an hour-long film. While continuing to search for more funds, the filmmakers considered other ideas, including a segment on a female high school player and a comedy sketch starring [[Tim Meadows]].<ref name="OralHistory" />

With limited financial backing, James, Marx, and Gilbert could only manage 22 days of filming for the entire first two years, and each of the filmmakers worked on other projects at times during the filming of ''Hoop Dreams''. By continuing to include Agee even after he was dropped from St. Joseph, they won the trust of him and his family, and the filmmakers began to delve deeper into the personal lives of the boys. At one point, the electricity was turned off in the Agee home; the filmmakers continued filming and (off-camera) provided money for the lights to be turned back on.<ref name="OralHistory" />

The filmmakers shot another 40 days during the boys' junior year. James was able to leverage a relationship with the vice president of the [[MacArthur Foundation]] into a $250,000 grant for the film, which allowed them to shoot 100 days from the end of junior year to the end of the film.<ref name="OralHistory" /> By the end of filming, they had captured 250 hours of footage.<ref name="Caryn1994" />

===Post-production===
''Hoop Dreams'' spent three years in editing, during which it was cut down from a first assemblage of more than 10 hours, to a six-hour version, to a rough cut that they showed the boys, their families, and Coach Pingatore. Per their original agreement, Marx handled the editing, but after two years he asked James and William Haugse to step in to help him. James and Haugse spent another year and a half editing. By the spring of 1993, they had a cut ready and began to consider releasing it in theaters.<ref name="OralHistory" />

==Release==
''Hoop Dreams'' premiered at the 1994 [[Sundance Film Festival]], where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary.<ref name="Sundance" /> It ran on the closing night of the 1994 [[New York Film Festival]], the first time a documentary film had ever closed the festival.<ref name="Caryn1994" /> The filmmakers had previously had to turn down an appearance at the 1993 edition of the festival as the film was not yet ready.<ref name="OralHistory" /> Its appearance at Sundance helped it secure a distribution deal with [[Fine Line Features]],<ref name="OralHistory" /> and the film opened nationwide on October 21, 1994.<ref name="Caryn1994" /> It grossed $7.8 million domestically and $4 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $11.8 million.<ref>{{cite web |title = Hoop Dreams |website = Box Office Mojo |url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0110057/ |access-date = April 10, 2022 |archive-date = May 1, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220501072802/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0110057/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

==Reception==
The film was widely acclaimed by critics. [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film "Two Very Enthusiastic Thumbs Up" on their show, with both critics naming ''Hoop Dreams'' the best film of 1994.<ref name=suntimes>{{cite news|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041215/COMMENTARY/41215001/1023 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |last=Ebert |first=Roger |title=Ebert's 10 Best Lists: 1967–present |access-date=January 2, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908200137/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20041215%2FCOMMENTARY%2F41215001%2F1023 |archive-date=September 8, 2006 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Ebert in his initial television review proclaimed "This is one of the best films about American life that I have ''ever'' seen", and later called it the best film of the decade<ref name=suntimes/> and "one of the great moviegoing experiences of my lifetime."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hoop-dreams-1994 | title=Hoop Dreams | date=October 21, 1994 | access-date=June 16, 2015 | work=RogerEbert.com | publisher=Ebert Digital LLC | last=Ebert | first=Roger | archive-date=May 10, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510122943/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hoop-dreams-1994 | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2004, ''[[The New York Times]]'' placed the film on its ''Best 1000 Movies Ever'' list.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | title=The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made | date=April 29, 2003 | access-date=May 21, 2010 | archive-date=December 22, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222124411/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The film has a 98% approval rating from [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 62 reviews with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website's critical consensus states, "One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of all time, ''Hoop Dreams'' is a rich, complex, heartbreaking, and ultimately deeply rewarding film that uses high school hoops as a jumping-off point to explore issues of race, class, and education in modern America."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hoop_dreams/ |title=Hoop Dreams (1994) |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=April 10, 2018 |archive-date=November 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127041627/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hoop_dreams/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Metacritic]] assigned the film a weighted average score of 98 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hoop-dreams | title=Hoop Dreams | website=[[Metacritic]] | access-date=June 19, 2023 | archive-date=June 29, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629135744/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hoop-dreams | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2024, ''[[Looper (website)|Looper]]'' ranked it number 2 on its list of the "50 Best PG-13 Movies of All Time," writing "Don't be intimidated by the 170-minute runtime of ''Hoop Dreams''. Though a lengthy commitment, this project from director Steve James is undeniably rewarding as a cinematic experience."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.looper.com/806086/best-pg-13-movies-of-all-time-ranked/ | title=50 Best PG-13 Movies Of All Time Ranked | website=Looper | date=October 14, 2024 | access-date=October 8, 2024 | archive-date=December 19, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219204536/https://www.looper.com/806086/best-pg-13-movies-of-all-time-ranked/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

The film was ranked #1 on the [[International Documentary Association]]'s [[International Documentary Association top 25 documentaries|Top 25 Documentaries]] list, based on polling of members in 2007.<ref name="IDA" /> It was also ranked #1 on the [[Current TV]] special ''[[50 Documentaries to See Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title = The One Must-See Documentary? |first = Mike |last = Hale |date = August 29, 2011 |website = The New York Times |url = https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/the-one-must-see-documentary/ |access-date = April 4, 2022}}</ref> In 2005, ''Hoop Dreams'' was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the [[National Film Registry]] of the [[Library of Congress]], being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|access-date=2020-10-30|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=July 28, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190728162129/https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Year-end lists ===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* 1st&nbsp;– [[Gene Siskel]], ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Siskel|first=Gene|date=December 25, 1994|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-12-25-9412250050-story.html|title=The Year's Best Movies|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=July 19, 2020|archive-date=December 28, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221228144548/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-12-25-9412250050-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1st&nbsp;– [[Roger Ebert]], ''[[Chicago Sun Times]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=The Best 10 Movies of 1994|first=Roger|last=Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=December 31, 1994|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/the-best-10-movies-of-1994|access-date=April 4, 2022|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706195332/https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/the-best-10-movies-of-1994|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1st&nbsp;– [[Kenneth Turan]], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''<ref name = "LATimesYE"/>
* 1st&nbsp;– [[Stephen Hunter]], ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Hunter|first=Stephen|date=December 25, 1994|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-12-25-1994359091-story.html|title=Films worthy of the title 'best' in short supply MOVIES|work=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=July 19, 2020|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210418195023/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-12-25-1994359091-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1st&nbsp;– Mack Bates, ''[[The Milwaukee Journal]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Bates|first=Mack|date=January 19, 1995|title=Originality of 'Hoop Dreams' makes it the movie of the year|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|page=3}}</ref>
* 2nd&nbsp;– [[Janet Maslin]], ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Maslin|first=Janet|date=December 27, 1994|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/27/movies/critic-s-notebook-the-good-bad-and-in-between-in-a-year-of-surprises-on-film.html|title=Critic's Notebook; The Good, Bad and In-Between In a Year of Surprises on Film|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 19, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807125758/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/27/movies/critic-s-notebook-the-good-bad-and-in-between-in-a-year-of-surprises-on-film.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 2nd&nbsp;– Steve Persall, ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Persall|first=Steve|date=December 30, 1994|title='Fiction': The art of filmmaking|newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|page=8|edition=City}}</ref>
* 3rd&nbsp;– [[Peter Travers]], ''[[Rolling Stone]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Travers|first=Peter|date=December 29, 1994|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/the-best-and-worst-movies-of-1994-180969/|title=The Best and Worst Movies of 1994|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=July 20, 2020|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125152931/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/the-best-and-worst-movies-of-1994-180969/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 3rd&nbsp;– Douglas Armstrong, ''The Milwaukee Journal''<ref>{{cite news|last=Armstrong|first=Douglas|date=January 1, 1995|title=End-of-year slump is not a happy ending|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|page=2}}</ref>
* 3rd&nbsp;– Robert Denerstein, ''[[Rocky Mountain News]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Denerstein|first=Robert|date=January 1, 1995|title=Perhaps It Was Best to Simply Fade to Black|newspaper=Rocky Mountain News|page=61A|edition=Final}}</ref>
* 3rd&nbsp;– Todd Anthony, ''[[Miami New Times]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Anthony|first=Todd|date=January 5, 1995|title=Hits & Disses|newspaper=[[Miami New Times]]}}</ref>
* 3rd&nbsp;– Sean P. Means, ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=P. Means|first=Sean|date=January 1, 1995|title='Pulp and Circumstance' After the Rise of Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood Would Never Be the Same|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|page=E1|edition=Final}}</ref>
* 4th&nbsp;– [[Desson Howe]], ''[[The Washington Post]]''<ref>{{citation|last=Howe|first=Desson|date=December 30, 1994|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/12/30/the-envelope-please-reel-winners-and-losers-of-1994/3cf88a79-b416-4c9a-8ff1-8e9c9a91df37/|title=The Envelope Please: Reel Winners and Losers of 1994|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=July 19, 2020|archive-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722025114/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/12/30/the-envelope-please-reel-winners-and-losers-of-1994/3cf88a79-b416-4c9a-8ff1-8e9c9a91df37/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 4th&nbsp;– Yardena Arar, ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Strauss|first=Bob|date=December 30, 1994|title=At the Movies: Quantity Over Quality|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|page=L6|edition=Valley}}</ref>
* 6th&nbsp;– Michael Mills, ''[[The Palm Beach Post]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Mills|first=Michael|date=December 30, 1994|title=It's a Fact: 'Pulp Fiction' Year's Best|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|page=7|edition=Final}}</ref>
* 9th&nbsp;– Peter Rainer, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''<ref name = "LATimesYE">{{cite web|last=Turan|first=Kenneth|date=December 25, 1994|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-25-ca-12998-story.html|title=1994: YEAR IN REVIEW : No Weddings, No Lions, No Gumps|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 20, 2020|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319070002/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-25-ca-12998-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 10th&nbsp;– Glenn Lovell, ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Lovell|first=Glenn|date=December 25, 1994 |title=The Past Picture Show the Good, the Bad and the Ugly – a Year Worth's of Movie Memories|newspaper=[[San Jose Mercury News]]|page=3|edition=Morning Final}}</ref>
* Top 7 (not ranked)&nbsp;– Duane Dudek, ''[[Milwaukee Sentinel]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Dudek|first=Duane|date=December 30, 1994|title=1994 was a year of slim pickings|work=Milwaukee Sentinel|page=3}}</ref>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– Eleanor Ringel, ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]''<ref name = "AtlantaYE">{{cite news|title=The Year's Best|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=December 25, 1994 |page=K/1}}</ref>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– Steve Murray, ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution''<ref name = "AtlantaYE"/>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– Mike Clark, ''[[USA Today]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Clark|first=Mike|date=December 28, 1994 |title=Scoring with true life, 'True Lies' and 'Fiction.'|newspaper=USA Today|page=5D|edition=Final}}</ref>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– William Arnold, ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Arnold|first=William|date=December 30, 1994|title='94 Movies: Best and Worst|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|page=20|edition=Final}}</ref>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– Jeff Simon, ''[[The Buffalo News]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Simon|first=Jeff|date=January 1, 1995|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/movies-once-more-with-feeling/article_b73e9a1a-9f60-5d7a-a05c-289243ba0483.html|title=Movies: Once More, with Feeling|work=[[The Buffalo News]]|access-date=July 19, 2020|archive-date=July 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719132904/https://buffalonews.com/news/movies-once-more-with-feeling/article_b73e9a1a-9f60-5d7a-a05c-289243ba0483.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Top 10 (not ranked)&nbsp;– Betsy Pickle, ''[[Knoxville News-Sentinel]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Pickle|first=Betsy|date=December 30, 1994|title=Searching for the Top 10... Whenever They May Be|newspaper=Knoxville News-Sentinel|page=3}}</ref>
* Top 10 (not ranked)&nbsp;– Howie Movshovitz, ''[[The Denver Post]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Movshovitz|first=Howie|date= December 25, 1994 |title=Memorable Movies of '94 Independents, fringes filled out a lean year|newspaper=[[The Denver Post]]|page=E-1|edition=Rockies}}</ref>
* Best of the year (not ranked) - [[Jeffrey Lyons]] and [[Michael Medved]], ''[[Sneak Previews]]''<ref>{{cite episode|host1=Lyons, Jeffrey (host)|host2=Medved, Michael (host)|title=The Best & Worst of 1994|series=[[Sneak Previews]]|air-date=January 6, 1995|season=20|network=[[WTTW]]|access-date=February 20, 2024|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4SqV43_O4|archive-date=February 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221003230/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4SqV43_O4|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Honorable mention&nbsp;– David Elliott, ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Elliott|first=David|date=December 25, 1994|title=On the big screen, color it a satisfying time|newspaper=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]|edition=1, 2|page=E=8}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Awards===
* 1994 [[Sundance Film Festival]]: Audience Award for Best Documentary<ref name="Sundance">{{cite web |title = 1994 Sundance Film Festival |publisher = Sundance Film Festival |url = http://history.sundance.org/events/29 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107141248/http://history.sundance.org/events/29 |archive-date = November 7, 2012 |url-status = live |access-date = April 6, 2022}}</ref>
* 1994 [[National Society of Film Critics]]: Best Nonfiction Film<ref>{{cite web |title = Past Awards |date = December 19, 2009 |publisher = National Society of Film Critics |url = https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |access-date = April 6, 2022 |archive-date = October 17, 2015 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20151017103247/http://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
* 1994 [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]]: Best Non-fiction Film<ref>{{cite web |title = 20th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards |publisher = Los Angeles Film Critics Association |url = http://www.lafca.net/years/1994.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170629004052/http://www.lafca.net/years/1994.html |archive-date = June 29, 2017}}</ref>
* 1994 [[New York Film Critics Circle]]: Best Documentary<ref>{{cite web |title = Awards |publisher = New York Film Critics Circle |url = https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=1994 |access-date = April 6, 2022 |archive-date = April 6, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220406223940/https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=1994 |url-status = live }}</ref>
* 1994 [[Chicago Film Critics Association|Chicago Film Critics Award]]: Best Picture<ref>{{cite web |title = 1988–2013 Award Winner Archives |date = January 2013 |publisher = Chicago Film Critics Association |url = https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |access-date = April 6, 2022 |archive-date = April 10, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210410183233/https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |url-status = live }}</ref>
* 1994 [[Directors Guild of America Awards]]: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary<ref>{{cite web |title = Awards / History / 1994 |publisher = Directors Guild of America |url = https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1990s/1994.aspx?value=1994 |access-date = April 6, 2022 |archive-date = October 4, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221004061423/http://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1990s/1994.aspx?value=1994 |url-status = live }}</ref>
* 1994 [[Academy Award]] nomination: [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Editing]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The 67th Academy Awards |year=1995 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995 |website=Oscars.org |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=29 October 2021 |archive-date=November 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109220937/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1995 [[Peabody Award]]<ref>{{cite web |title = Hoop Dreams |publisher = Peabody Awards |url = https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/hoop-dreams/ |access-date = April 6, 2022 |archive-date = July 2, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220702082500/https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/hoop-dreams/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

== Academy Awards controversy ==
[[Ira Deutchman]], who helped distribute the film with Fine Line, advocated for the film to be nominated for Best Picture at the [[Academy Awards]].<ref name="OralHistory" /> When the film, along with the equally acclaimed ''[[Crumb (film)|Crumb]]'' a year later, was not nominated in either the Best Picture or the Best Documentary categories, public outcry led to a revised nomination process in the category, led by Oscar-winning documentarian [[Barbara Kopple]].<ref name="indy weekly">{{cite news | last = Harrington | first = Rob | title = Dreams don't cost a thing | work = Independent Weekly | date = 2009-04-01 | url = http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A355289 | access-date = 2009-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414030605/http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A355289 |archive-date=April 14, 2009}}</ref> According to Roger Ebert, reliable sources said members of the Academy's documentary nomination committee had a system in which one would wave a flashlight on screen when they gave up on the film. When a majority of the lights flashed, the film was turned off. ''Hoop Dreams'' was watched, but the nomination system at the time was based on total points earned when voters gave ratings from 4 to 10 for each documentary. A group of voters gave the lowest possible rating to ''Hoop Dreams'' and other films. The flashlight system was ended, and the rating scale was reduced.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thewrap.com/celebrating-anniversary-oscar-snub-9797/ |work=The Wrap |last=Pond |first=Steve |title=Celebrating the Anniversary of an Oscar Snub |date=November 6, 2009 |access-date=January 16, 2024 |archive-date=January 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116173708/https://www.thewrap.com/celebrating-anniversary-oscar-snub-9797/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/11/the_great_american_documentary.html |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |last=Ebert |first=Roger|title=The Great American Documentary |date=November 5, 2009 |access-date=November 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624120430/http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/11/the_great_american_documentary.html |archive-date=June 24, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Siskel, while also objecting to ''Hoop Dreams'' being passed by for the nomination, said that it led to more widespread media coverage of the film.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Brady Bunch Movie, Just Cause, Billy Madison, Mr. Payback, 1995 |url=https://siskelebert.org/?p=5504 |website=Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews |access-date=July 28, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728140505/https://siskelebert.org/%3Fp%3D5504/ |url-status=live }} Event occurs at 16:22–19:39.</ref>

In response to the controversy, Bruce Davis, the Academy's executive director, asked accounting firm [[Price Waterhouse]] to turn over the voting results, in which each voter had given a rating from zero to ten to each of the eligible documentaries. According to Davis, "a small group of members gave zeros to every single film except the five they wanted to see nominated. And they gave tens to those five, which completely skewed the voting&nbsp;... There was one film that received more scores of ten than any other, but it was not nominated. It also got zeros from those few voters, and that was enough to push it to sixth place."<ref>{{cite book|last=Pond |first=Steve |title=The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards |url=https://archive.org/details/bigshowhightimes00pond |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/bigshowhightimes00pond/page/74 74] |publisher=Faber and Faber|year=2005|isbn=9780571211937 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Neither Agee nor Gates were drafted into the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]. Nonetheless, both young men were able to turn the film's success and their subsequent fame into a better life for themselves and their families. Gates played three seasons of college basketball at [[Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball|Marquette University]] before quitting the program, but he graduated from the university in 1999 with a [[Communication studies|communications]] degree. Agee went on to play at [[Arkansas State Red Wolves men's basketball|Arkansas State]] and later in the [[United States Basketball League]] and the [[International Basketball Association]].<ref name="SI2004">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/vault/2004/07/12/376448/reality-show-ten-years-ago-hoop-dreams-briefly-turned-two-childhood-pals-from-chicago-into-american-idols-but-a-hollywood-ending-has-proved-elusive|title=Reality Show Ten years ago Hoop Dreams briefly turned two childhood pals from Chicago into American idols, but a Hollywood ending has proved elusive|last=Davis|first=Seth|date=July 12, 2004|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref> The producers gave both Gates and Agee almost $200,000 in royalties from the film, although they were barred from accepting the money until after college due to [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] rules.<ref name="Caryn1994">{{cite news|first=Caryn|last=James|title=Hoop Dreams: Dreaming the Dreams, Realizing the Realities.|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 7, 1994|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F05E4DF103DF934A35753C1A962958260|access-date=January 2, 2015|archive-date=May 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514003313/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F05E4DF103DF934A35753C1A962958260|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2001, Gates practiced with [[Michael Jordan]] ahead of a tryout with the [[Washington Wizards]], but he fractured his foot and decided to retire from basketball permanently.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27976-2004Jul4_3.html|title=Looking Back At Broken 'Dreams'|date=July 4, 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=April 4, 2022|archive-date=September 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914105210/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27976-2004Jul4_3.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Agee, the younger of the two basketball players, launched a foundation promoting higher education for inner-city youth and began the "Hoop Dreams" sportswear line in 2006. Gates became the senior pastor at Living Faith Community Center in [[Cabrini–Green]], where he worked at the Kids' Club.<ref name="Tribune2004">{{Cite web|title='Hoop Dreams' father slain|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-12-17-0412170029-story.html|first=Hal|last=Dardick|date=December 17, 2004|access-date=January 15, 2022|website=Chicago Tribune|language=en|archive-date=January 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115052700/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-12-17-0412170029-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The families of both men have experienced losses since the release of the film. Agee's half-brother DeAntonio was killed on Thanksgiving morning 1994, and Gates's older brother, Curtis, was shot to death in [[Chicago Lawn]] in September 2001. Agee's father, Bo, was murdered in 2004.<ref name="Tribune2004" />

=== Unofficial sequel ===
An unofficial sequel not made by the original filmmakers, '''''Hoop Reality''''' (2007), explores what happened during the decade after ''Hoop Dreams''. [[Patrick Beverley]] from Chicago's West Side appears as a struggling potential star also at [[John Marshall Metropolitan High School]] and is mentored by Agee and basketball coach Lamont Bryant. Beverley entered the [[2009 NBA draft]], and was selected with the 42nd overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers.<ref name="Hoop Reality postscript">{{cite web | url=http://www.espn.com/chicago/columns/story?id=4300069 | title=Documentary film 'Hoop Reality' gets dream postscript | publisher=[[ESPN]] | date=July 2, 2009 | access-date=April 22, 2015 | author=Scoop Jackson | author-link=Scoop Jackson (writer) | archive-date=July 5, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705175508/http://www.espn.com/chicago/columns/story?id=4300069 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==20th anniversary restoration==
A digital restoration of the film, created by a partnership of the [[Sundance Institute]], [[UCLA Film and Television Archive]], the [[Academy Film Archive]] and [[Kartemquin Films]], premiered at the [[2014 Sundance Film Festival]] for the film's 20th anniversary. The restoration used the original analog video masters to create a high-definition digital master that was higher-quality than the cropped and transferred version that was released commercially.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kartemquin.com/news/hoop-dreams-1994-vs-hoop-dreams-2014|title=Hoop Dreams|publisher=Kartemquin.com|access-date=January 2, 2015|archive-date=December 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216051312/https://www.kartemquin.com/news/hoop-dreams-1994-vs-hoop-dreams-2014|url-status=live}}</ref> [[The Criterion Collection]] released the restored ''Hoop Dreams'' [[Blu-ray]] on March 31, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.criterion.com/films/906-hoop-dreams|title=Hoop Dreams|work=The Criterion Collection|access-date=January 2, 2015|archive-date=January 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109072248/http://www.criterion.com/films/906-hoop-dreams?|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of basketball films]]
* [[List of films shot over three or more years]]
* ''[[Abacus: Small Enough to Jail]]'', the 2016 documentary film that earned Steve James his first [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]] nomination
*''[[Last Chance U]]'', a similar documentary series about college basketball and football

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0110057}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=18281}}
* {{AFI film|60030}}
* {{mojo title|hoopdreams}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|hoop_dreams}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* [https://kartemquin.org/film/hoop-dreams/ ''Hoop Dreams''] at Kartemquin Films
* [http://www.warriorfilms.org/film/hoop-dreams/ ''Hoop Dreams''] at Warrior Films
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC "Hoop Dreams"], an essay by Daniel Eagan in ''America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry'', A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pp.&nbsp;814–815

{{Steve James}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Hoop Dreams''
|list =
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Documentary Film}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Film}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary Film}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Film}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Non-Fiction Film}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Non-Fiction Film}}
{{Sundance Audience Award Documentary}}
}}
{{Kartemquin Films}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoop Dreams}}
[[Category:1994 films]]
[[Category:1994 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1994 documentary films]]
[[Category:1994 independent films]]
[[Category:American basketball films]]
[[Category:American sports documentary films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Steve James]]
[[Category:Documentary films about adolescence]]
[[Category:Documentary films about basketball]]
[[Category:Documentary films about African-American people]]
[[Category:Documentary films about Chicago]]
[[Category:Films shot in Chicago]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning broadcasts]]
[[Category:Sundance Film Festival award–winning films]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:Kartemquin Films films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1994 American films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]