Love and Basketball
(2000)

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Key Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert, Glenndon Chatman, Jess Willard, Chris Warren Jr., Kyla Pratt, Naykia Harris

Rating: PG-13

Genre(s): Romance, Drama, Sport

Love and Basketball Movie Trailer

Movie Summary

“Love and Basketball” is a romantic drama starring Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan.

Like a basketball game, the movie unfolds in four quarters.  It all starts when a young Monica and her family move from Atlanta, Georgia to the posh Black neighborhood of Baldwin Hills, California.  Her next door neighbor is eleven year old Quincy who is the son of a professional basketball player (Dennis Haysbert).

Both Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) love basketball and it is through this shared love of the game that they also develop strong feelings for each other. However, it is also because of basketball that their relationship over the years becomes an on-again, off-again romance. For many years, it is hard for Monica and Quincy to even acknowledge the feelings that they have for each other.

As they progress from high school, college and beyond, their romance takes many twists and turns just like their basketball careers.

Considered by many critics to be a hot date movie, “Love and Basketball” is a great romantic sports film.

• "Love and Basketball" was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who is one of the few African-American female writer and directors in Hollywood to do so.

• Famous African-American movie director, Spike Lee, produced this film under his “40 Acres & A Mule” company.  “40 Acres & A Mule” has also produced these Top 100 Black Classic Movies: She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, 4 Little Girls and The Best Man.

• The song “Dance Tonight” from the “Love and Basketball” movie soundtrack was a Billboard Music Chart Top 10 R&B/Hip-Hop Single. 

• The “Love and Basketball” movie soundtrack was a Top 10 Billboard Music Chart Independent Album.

• Sanaa Lathan, who plays Monica Wright in "Love and Basketball" won three major African-American movie awards for her performance in the movie. She won the NAACP Image Award, Black Reel Award and BET Awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture.

• "Love and Basketball" won two NAACP Image Awards and was nominated for three additional awards. Sanaa Lathan won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. Alfre Woodard won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Award.

• The three NAACP Image Awards that "Love and Basketball" was nominated for were: Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Omar Epps) and Outstanding Youth Actress (Kyla Pratt)

• "Love and Basketball" was nominated for eight Black Reel Awards and won four of them. They were: Best Actress (Sanaa Lathan), Best Director (Gina Prince-Bythewood), Best Soundtrack and Best Song ("Fool of Me" by Meshell Ndegeocello)

• The four other Black Reel Awards nominations for "Love and Basketball" were: Best Actor (Omar Epps), Best Screenplay (Gina Prince-Bythewood), Best Song ("I'll Go") and Best Song ("Dance Tonight")

• "Love and Basketball" also won a BET Award for Best Actress (Sanaa Lathan)

"Love and Basketball" Movie DVD

Buy the "Love and Basketball" Movie on DVD
"Love and Basketball" is a romance movie with the love of basketball
as part of the triangle. It starts Omar Epps, Sanaa Lathan, Dennis
Haysbert and Alfre Woodard.

 
Click the above link
for purchase details.

Buy the "Love and Basketball" Movie Soundtrack
The "Love and Basketball" movie soundtrack was
a Billboard Top 10 R&B/Hip-Hop album.

It features songs by Al Green, MC Lyte, Lucy Pearl
and more.

 
Click the above button
for purchase details.