The Basketball Diaries
Struggling with grief and addiction, a talented but troubled teen basketball player in New York City battles his inner demons, the pressures of school, and a predatory coach while finding solace in his secret passion for writing.
“The true story of the death of innocence and the birth of an artist.”
Synopsis
A high school basketball player's life is upended as he descends into the dangerous world of drug addiction.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 205+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Dana CongdonShot by David PhillipsScored by Graeme RevellDesigned by Christopher NowakSound by Paul B ClayCostumes by David C RobinsonStunts by Edgard Mourino
Box Office
1995 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.2× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$2.4M
Opening weekend: $765K — 32% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $1.0M — 44% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 317 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Jim Carroll – In den Straßen von New Yorkde
- (16mm release title)Ditarët e Basketbollit
- Diario de un rebeldees
- Ritorno dal nullait
- (English)The Basketball Diaries
- (Bulgarian)Баскетболни дневници
Release dates around the world2 countries · showhide
- United StatesJan 27, 1995
- AustraliaSep 14, 1995
Companies
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Cast & Crew
205 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Leonardo Dicaprio
as Jim Carroll
Lorraine Bracco
as Jim's Mother
Marilyn Sokol
as Chanting Woman
James Madio
as Pedro
Patrick Mcgaw
as Neutron
Mark Wahlberg
as Mickey
Roy Cooper
as Father McNulty
Vincent Pastore
as Construction Worker
Bruno Kirby
as Swifty
Jimmy Papiris
as Iggy
Nick Gaetani
as Referee #1
Alexander Chaplin
as Bobo
Supporting cast
35Ben Jorgensen
as Tommy
Josh Mostel
as Counterman
Juliette Lewis
as Diane Moody
Michael Imperioli
as Bobby
Akiko Ashley
as Stripper
Ernie Hudson
as Reggie
Manny Alfaro
as Manny
Cynthia Daniel
as Winkie
Brittany Daniel
as Blinkie
Eric Betts
as Drug Dealer #1
Joyce R Korbin
as Mugging Victim
Barton Heyman
as Confessional Priest
Lawrence Barth
as Referee #2
Gary Iorio
as Policeman
Toby Huss
as Kenny
Jim Carroll
as Frankie Pinewater
William Webb
as JuJu Johnson
John C Vennema
as Mr. Rubin
Michael Rapaport
as Skinhead
Doc Dougherty
as Policeman
John Hoyt
as Billy the Bartender
Manny Siverio
as Pino
Chris M Allport
as Jim Carroll
Alex Ballar
as Basketball Player
Anthony Dimaria
as Pool hall shark
Patrick Coleman Duncan
as Student
Brian Ferrari
as St. Vitus Student
Tom Fitzpatrick
as The 'John' in the Subway
Casey Green
as Catholic High School Student
Mary Ann Hannon
as Head Nurse
Marshall Dancing Elk Lucas
as Patron
Kate Miller
as Girl at bar
Rohan Quine
as Drug-sniffer in subway restroom
Gus Scharr
as Priest
Brian Shakti
as Catholic School Boy
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
7Other crew
150Brian Berdan
additional editor
Robert Blair
additional electric (as Bob Blair)
James Boniece
additional grip (as Jim Boniece)
Sharyn Pierson
additional makeup artist (as Sharyn Cordice Pierson)
Jim W Mcfarland
additional production assistant
Lori Seidner
additional production assistant (as Lori C. Seidner)
Matthew D Panepinto
additional production assistant (as Matthew Panepinto)
Robin Buerki
additional steadicam operator
Beau Biggart
adr mixer
Beth Coiner
art department intern
Camille Cerio
assistant auditor (as Camille Cerullo), post-production auditor (as Camille Cerullo)
Shirley Davis
assistant coordinator
Parents Guide
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Where to watch
Live · bot-verified- Paramount+Stream
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