Above the Rim

Above the Rim is a 1994 crime drama set in Harlem, where basketball offers a way out of poverty for some and drug money for others. Kyle Watson is a talented high school player with a chance at a college career. He is pulled between two half-brothers: Shep, a former basketball star now working as a security guard at the school's games, and Birdie, a drug dealer who wants Kyle on his team for an upcoming streetball tournament. Shep takes an interest in the young player's future, while Birdie's world of gangs and crime closes in around him.

Jeff Pollack directed and co-wrote the film with Benny Medina and Barry Michael Cooper, and produced it with Medina. It was the first of the three features Pollack directed, followed by Booty Call and Lost & Found. Duane Martin plays Kyle, Leon plays Shep, and Tupac Shakur plays Birdie, with Bernie Mac, Marlon Wayans and Wood Harris in supporting roles. The film runs 96 minutes and was released by New Line Cinema.

On IMDb, the film holds a rating of 5.3 out of 10 from 22 reviews. On TMDB, it has a rating of 7.1 out of 10 from 248 votes. The gap between the two suggests critics were considerably less enthusiastic about the film than general viewers were.