The Best Basketball Songs to Pump You Up and Play To

A crowd watching basketball

When you’re pumped up to play some basketball, the mindset that you can get yourself into can improve your focus and help you play better. Music is a great way to create that focus. Here are my favorite songs to help me get ready to play.

#1. One More Time/Aerodynamic

This song by Daft Punk has just the right beat for running. It’s a great warm-up song because it lets your physical performance become consistent. It is also useful for shooting drills or defensive drills that require a bit of movement. Go with the vinyl for an authentic sound.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#2. Pump Up the Jam

This hit from Technotronic is always one of those tunes you want to include on a workout playlist. It has a bassline that drives you forward, a beat that doesn’t give up, and that combines to give you some extra energy for the practice or the game.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#3. Body Movin’

There are plenty of Beastie Boys songs that are worth putting on this list, but I have to call this one my favorite. I really love the funk in the beat, especially when you take the Fatboy Slim remix into account.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#4. Gonna Make You Sweat

Whenever there is a cowbell in a song, you know it’s going to be good at some level. The beat of the song is at just the right rhythm to keep you going when you’re starting to feel tired. I like to put this song on when there are about 10 minutes left in what I’m doing.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#5. Everlong

If you have ever listened to the Foo Fighters, then you know that their music is incredibly consistent. Virtually any song of theirs could be included on this list right here. I tend to prefer this one. “Times Like These” is another solid option.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#6. Gospelalphamegafunkyboogiediscomusic

I first encountered T-Bone when he was a guest on the MTV show The Cutand his work has been featured on my basketball playlists ever since. His work is marketed as “Gangsta Christian Rap,” which in itself makes one somewhat curious about what his rhymes are about. The disco sound of this beat is perfect for taking jump shots.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#7. Hard to Explain

The 160 beats per minute that you get out of this song is a great boost for the rapid drills you might need to run. If you keep your legs moving at the pace of the beat, you’d be at 22 miles per hour. It’s a great song to run for those end-of-practice suicide drills as well.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#8. Shake It Off

Okay. So Taylor Swift is a very different experience than rap disco or modern grunge rock, but you can’t deny the effectiveness of this song. Shake off those haters like you can shake off a bad losing streak. Get your game face on.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

#9. Smells Like Teen Spirit

Just because I love this song.

Click here to compare pricing on Amazon and get an awesome deal.

These are the best basketball songs for me. What are some of your favorite songs?

Find more advice in our beginners guide!