Love & Basketball
Sparks fly both on and off the court in this groundbreaking feature debut by writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), which elevated the coming-of-age romance by giving honest expression to the challenges female athletes face in a world that doesn’t see them as equal. Sanaa Lathan (Alien vs. Predator) and Omar Epps (Higher Learning) make for one of the most iconic screen couples of the 2000s as the basketball-obsessed next-door neighbors who find love over flirtatious pickup games, fall apart under the strain of high-pressure college hoops and families, and drift in and out of each other’s lives as they pursue their twin aspirations of playing professionally. Aided by stellar supporting performances and an eclectic R&B soundtrack, Love & Basketball captures the intoxicating passions, heartbreaking setbacks, and sky-high ambitions that mark a young woman’s journey to the top of her game and to lasting love.
Director-Approved Blu-ray Special Edition Features
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Gina Prince-Bythewood, featuring additional footage cut from the original release and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- Two audio commentaries from 2000: one featuring Prince-Bythewood and actor Sanaa Lathan and the other featuring Prince-Bythewood, editor Terilyn A. Shropshire, and composer Terence Blanchard
- New making-of documentary featuring Prince-Bythewood, Lathan, actors Omar Epps and Alfre Woodard, producer and writer Reggie Rock Bythewood, and basketball adviser Colleen Matsuhara
- Editing “Love & Basketball,” a new program featuring Prince-Bythewood and Shropshire
- New conversation among Prince-Bythewood, WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, and writer-producer-actor Lena Waithe
- Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by Prince-Bythewood and Shropshire
- Audition tape excerpts
- Two short films by Prince-Bythewood: her UCLA thesis film, Stitches (1991), and Progress (1997), with a new introduction by the director
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Roxane Gay
New cover based on an original theatrical poster
Director-Approved Blu-ray Special Edition Features
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Gina Prince-Bythewood, featuring additional footage cut from the original release and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- Two audio commentaries from 2000: one featuring Prince-Bythewood and actor Sanaa Lathan and the other featuring Prince-Bythewood, editor Terilyn A. Shropshire, and composer Terence Blanchard
- New making-of documentary featuring Prince-Bythewood, Lathan, actors Omar Epps and Alfre Woodard, producer and writer Reggie Rock Bythewood, and basketball adviser Colleen Matsuhara
- Editing “Love & Basketball,” a new program featuring Prince-Bythewood and Shropshire
- New conversation among Prince-Bythewood, WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, and writer-producer-actor Lena Waithe
- Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by Prince-Bythewood and Shropshire
- Audition tape excerpts
- Two short films by Prince-Bythewood: her UCLA thesis film, Stitches (1991), and Progress (1997), with a new introduction by the director
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Roxane Gay
New cover based on an original theatrical poster
Cast
- Omar Epps
- Quincy McCall
- Sanaa Lathan
- Monica Wright
- Alfre Woodard
- Camille Wright
- Dennis Haysbert
- Zeke McCall
- Debbi Morgan
- Nona McCall
- Harry J. Lennix
- Nathan Wright
- Kyla Pratt
- Young Monica
- Glenndon Chatman
- Young Quincy
- Christine Dunford
- Coach Davis
- Erika Ringor
- Sidra O’Neal
- Regina Hall
- Lena Wright
- Gabrielle Union
- Shawnee
- Colleen Matsuhara
- UCLA coach
- Tyra Banks
- Kyra Kessler
Credits
- Director
- Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Written by
- Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Produced by
- Spike Lee
- Sam Kitt
- Executive producers
- Andrew Z. Davis
- Jay Stern
- Cynthia Guidry
- Director of photography
- Reynaldo Villalobos
- Production designer
- Jeff Howard
- Editor
- Terilyn A. Shropshire
- Casting
- Aisha Coley
- Music
- Terence Blanchard
- Music supervision
- Melodee Sutton
- Costume designer
- Ruth E. Carter
- Sound mixer
- Willie Burton
- Art director
- Susan K. Chan
- Set designer
- Ron Wilkinson
- Key makeup artist
- Anita Gibson
- Key hairstylists
- Joann Stafford-Chaney
- Sterfon Demings
- Script supervisor
- Martin Kitrosser
- Basketball advisers
- Dick Baker
- Colleen Matsuhara
- Steve Spencer
- Hi-8 footage
- Reggie Rock Bythewood
A scene from Love & Basketball
