Upon entering Shohoku High School, Hanamichi Sakuragi hoped to find a girlfriend after he was rejected 50 times consecutively in secondary school. However, due to his bad temper, enormous height and fiery red hair, most students made a habit of avoiding him. Gradually, Hanamichi was left with two unwavering thoughts: "I hate basketball" and "I desperately need a girlfriend". One day, a girl named Haruko Akagi approached him without knowing anything about him and asked him if he liked basketball. Hanamichi instantly fell in love with her. In order to impress Haruko, he tried to dunk a basketball in front of her but accidentally hits his head directly on the blackboard. Through various incidents, he slowly finds himself drawn into the camaraderie and competition of a sport he previously resented.