The story first begins when Sakuragi makes a new record as he has been rejected by 50 girls in junior high school. The 50th girl rejects him because she likes a basketball player. Thus, Sakuragi is very down and hates basketball. Anybody who mentions the word "basketball" will be beaten by him. However, everything changes quickly when he joins the Shohoku senior high school. There, he meets his dream girl Haruko who is crazy about basketball. In order to win Haruko's heart, Sakuragi joins the Shohoku basketball team immediately though he knows nothing about basketball. Unfortunately, the luck for Sakuragi does not change. Haruko actually likes another player in the Shohoku team, Rukawa indeed. This makes thing become really complicated.
With the harsh practice everyday, Sakuragi is able to improve his basketball skill like an unstoppable bullet train. With the star player Rukawa, the excellent center Akagi, together with the return of former junior high school MVP - Mitsui and the small but quick point guard - Miyagi, team Shohoku has now become a very competitive team. Indeed, after several fierce battles, team Shohoku is able to finish 2nd in Kanagawa behind team Kainan and qualifies for the national tournament.
In the natinal tournament, team Shohoku is able to survive in the first round after a tough battle with team Toyotama. However, a big challenge is waiting in front as the next opponent will be the #1 seed - team Sannoh. In that game, team Shohoku has been trailing a lot in several occasions, but the team never gives up and comes back again and again. Now, with one minute left, the score is 70:76 with Shohoku behind by 6 points. Then ......
在初中的三年間，櫻木花道連續五十次的被女生所拒絕，特別是在
最後一次，即初中畢業前，因對方說喜歡的是籃球隊的人而意志消
沉。不過，升上高中時，一位救世主--赤木晴子出現了，她一句說
話--喜歡籃球嗎--另櫻木的心重點起愛之火。為博取情子的歡心，
這個籃球的門外漢亦立即加入了籃球隊。可是，晴子原來單戀另一
名王牌球員--流川楓，另事情變得越來越複雜。
在短短的日子裡面，隨著每天連綿不絕的地獄式訓練，櫻木以驚人
的速度成長起來；加上初中是MVP的三井壽和問題球員宮城良田的
歸隊另原本有一流中鋒赤木剛憲和星級球員流川楓的湘北籃球隊一
下子強大起來。在一番苦戰後，終於在縣區選拔賽中，以第二名資
格，與海南大附屬一同晉身全國大賽。
在全國大賽中，好不容以，湘北才擊敗了大阪的勁旅豐玉高中，但
第二輪的對手是全日本第一，秋田縣代表山王工業。苦戰一輪後，
湘北以70對76落後，時間亦只僅餘下一分鐘，終於......