Blue Chips scores as "the best sports movie in years!" (Jeffrey Lyons, Sneak Previews). Championship-winning coach Pete Bell (Nick Nolte) runs the cleanest program in collegiate basketball. But when he finds himself on the brink of his first losing season, Bell decides he must make a risky trade to protect his job: under-the-table dollars for talent. Betraying his conscience and the trust of his ex-wife (Mary McDonnell), bell signs the nation's "blue chips": a farmboy forward (Matt Nover), a playmaking guard from the projects (Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway), and Neon Bodeaux (1993 NBA rookie of the year Shaquille O'Neal), a 7-foot slam-dunking phenom from the bayou. Now Bell has the best team money can buy... but is he prepared to pay the price?