FILM 2292: LOVE & BASKETBALL (2000)

TRIVIA: Directorial debut of Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Producer Spike Lee believed the female lead should have believable basketball skills. Gina Prince-Bythewood said in an interview "I saw over 700 people for the part: actors, ballplayers, people who had never acted before in their life. It finally came down to Sanaa [Lathan] and Niesha Butler [a star player at Georgia Tech and 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year]. I put Sanaa with a basketball coach for two months and Niesha with an acting coach."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sanaa Lathan said her basketball tryout was terrible because she'd never played before. "It was so embarrassing because literally I didn't know how to dribble. I didn't know how to hold the ball. But I'm proud of how it looks [in the movie]. I had no idea I would be able to do it."

The scene where the character Monica is pushed and receives a scar was added because Sanaa Lathan has the scar on her cheek in real life.

Omar Epps and Regina Hall both have connections to Scream 2 (1997). Epps played the boyfriend of Jada Pinkett-Smith's character in Scream 2, whereas Hall played a spoof of Pinkett-Smith's character in Scary Movie (2000).

Appeared on Entertainment Weekly's list of The 50 Best Movies You've Never Seen in the Jul 16, 2012 issue.

ONE SENTENCE REVIEW: This film is, like it’s title, equal parts love and basketball, I honestly found the basketball more enjoyable to watch than the romance and I think Sanaa Lathan outshines her male co-star.

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This is featured on the podcast Blank Check episode Love & Basketball With Carl Tart