The Basketball Diaries tells the story of Jim, a talented basketball player and poet who gets introduced to and becomes addicted to heroin with his friends. As his addiction spirals out of control, he starts robbing elderly women and businesses and turns to prostitution to support his habit. Jim hits rock bottom when his mother throws him out and he is found unconscious in the snow. He goes through a long detox process but eventually gets clean. The film provides a realistic and detailed portrayal of Jim's descent into drug addiction but has an unconvincing ending.