16 Best Basketball Songs

This list was a real surprise. When I first started hunting down basketball songs I had a couple in mind that I really loved, but the further I went I discovered several songs that I recognized but had never really thought of as songs about basketball. Sure, hip-hop and rap dominate, but there are some great tracks from great artists here – whether it’s pure basketball or using basketball as a metaphor. As always, let me know if there are any others you like that I’ve missed.

1. G. Love & Special Sauce “Shooting Hoops”
This is about as pure as it get’s for a basketball song – capturing hanging with your mates shooting hoops perfectly.

2. Public Enemy “He Got Game”
A classic track – so smoooooth – in the basketball metaphor category.

3. Spearhead “Why Oh Why”
Powerful song of basketball on the streets and how it doesn’t always play out the way you want.

4. Lil Bow Wow “Basketball”
Originally featured in the movie Like Mike, but it’s a remake of Kurtis Blow’s 1984 song – and the one more people recognize.

5. Twista “NBA Live 2004”
The first of video game tracks on this list!

6. Riff “White Men Can’t Jump”
Written for the movie and worth checking out for the video alone.

7. No Good “Ballin Boy”
This time it’s a song from NBA Live 2003 that name checks a bunch of NBA stuff.

8. Kurtis Blow “Basketball”
The original of the Lil Bow Wow track – the track is still cool but the video is scary!

9. Lupe Fiasco “Catch Me I’m Ballin’” featuring Evidence
A cracking hip-hop trackthat featured on NBA2K7.

10. The Game “Can’t Stop Me” featuring Fredwreck
NBA Live 2004 brought us this one.

11. Five For Fighting “Michael Jordan”
Not your normal upbeat and uplifting basketball track…

12. Fabolous “It’s In The Game (NBA Live 2003 Theme)”
Fabolous is a huge basketball fan and had this song as the NBA Live 2003 theme.

13. Brother Bones And His Shadows “Sweet Georgia Brown”
How can you hear this and not think of basketball?

14. G. Love & Special Sauce “I-76”
Not really a basketball song per se, but the verse about the Sixers is awesome.

15. Spearhead “Dream Team”
Politics meets basketball.

16. Skee-Lo “I Wish”
Skee-lo lamenting how bad he is at basketball was a big hit in ’95.

Although this version is the one I’ve always liked more.