During the last three years, Teikou Middle School has dominated the national basketball scene with its legendary lineup, the "Generation of Miracles." Five prodigies excelled in the sport, but a "Phantom Sixth Man" lurked in the shadows and aided in earning the team its fame. Their monstrous growth eventually jaded them from the sport they loved and forced them to split up in high school.
In search of new members, the Seirin High School basketball team recruits Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko, two freshmen who appear to possess significant differences in abilities. Kagami, who has just returned from America, has both a natural aptitude and a passion for the game, while Kuroko lacks presence and has no outstanding athletic talent. As it turns out, he is Teikou's Phantom Sixth Man, the player who was once a member of the Generation of Miracles.
Kuroko wants to prove to the Seirin team that he is strong in his own way. Seeing Kagami's conviction, he forms a dynamic partnership with Kuroko, who promises to be Kagami's "shadow" in the Interhigh championship with the help of his new Seirin teammates. But Kuroko's former teammates reappearance complicates their plans.