Corruption and basketball: 'Blue Chips' turns 30

William Friedkin’s 1994 basketball film went out on a limb in challenging the premise of college sports- and then real life caught up to it.

Blue Chips, released in February of 1994 — 30 years ago this week — was best known as the film debut of then-young NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, in which he was paired with Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, his then-teammate with the Orlando Magic. 

On top of that, the film represented something of a then-radical critique of the structure of big-time college sports. It’s taken a while, but the real world has come around to the film’s point of view. 

Blue Chips was written and produced by sports movie specialist Ron Shelton, and directed by New Hollywood titan William Friedkin. It was one of just three films Friedkin directed in the 1990s and arrived the year before the infamous thriller Jade. Both Blue Chips and Jade were released by Paramount, which was run at the time by Friedkin’s wife, Sherry Lansing. 

Nick Nolte stars as Pete Bell, a veteran coach who’s spent much of his career at (fictional) Western University in California. He’s a gruff but honest man, with one exception- he can never resist fibbing to the families of recruits about what Christian denomination he’s a part of. 

But as Blue Chips begins, his clean approach is starting to cost him, as he’s suffered his first losing season and whispers that his job could be in jeopardy.