There are so many movies as a culture that hold a special place in our hearts—-and “Love & Basketball” is definitely one of them. 20 years ago today, on April 21, 2000, Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps starred in the romantic basketball drama that is still a favorite among fans after all these years and considered a modern day classic.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film, director Gina Prince-Bythewood spoke about the challenges she faced to initially get “Love & Basketball” made, including casting struggles and finding a studio that was interested in taking a chance on a young director hoping to get her first feature film made.
Gina explained “Love & Basketball” this way:
“When I first started out writing it, my goal was to do a black ‘When Harry Met Sally.’ I love that movie, but I wasn’t seeing myself in movies like that, in love stories. And in addition to that, there was a semi-autobiographical story in my head about a black girl who wanted to be the first girl in the NBA.”
She continued, adding:
“As an artist, you hope you’re making art that resonates and reaches people, but you never know. So the fact that 20 years later we’re still talking about my first film is humbling and amazing to me. Especially when I think back to trying to get it made and knowing how many times it was dead in the water.”
Happy 20th “Love & Basketball!”
