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‘Love and Basketball’ With Bill Simmons and Jemele Hill

April 16, 2020 · Love & Basketball (2000) · Drama · Romance · Sport · 1:42:21

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Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 18:03Sanaa Lathan — Director auditioned 700 people for Monica including Serena Williams (unavailable), Marion Jones (on tape), with final choice between Sonia Latham (couldn't play basketball) and Nyesha Butler (couldn't act). Director chose Latham after deciding it was 'a love story' where 'you can fake a jump shot, but you can't fake a close up'
Jemele Hill▶ 20:30Marion Jones — Agreed that Marion Jones casting 'would not have aged well' due to her later doping scandal. Praised Sonia Latham's basketball improvement over two months of training, noting she looked more believable than Omar Epps despite never having played before

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 53:30The last 10 minutes - the basketball game to the WNBA
Jemele Hill▶ 50:45The argument scene when he tells her he's going pro (explores career vs. relationship tension) and the scene where she's punished for showboating after shooting the three

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:03USC coach's late 1980s women's basketball haircut, Monica's quote 'When you're a kid, you see the life you want. It never turns out that way', and the roommates enjoying drama scene with love triangle
Jemele Hill▶ 58:07High school cheerleaders scene, the balance of themes fitting present with nostalgia for past, party breakup scene, subtle conversations about gender/women's choices, and ex-athlete transition struggles (Dennis Haysbert's character)

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:24Multiple picks: Zeke's terrible adultery excuse ('tell mom I have a meeting'), the poorly shot scar scene where Monica gets shoved, Quincy's reaction to Monica during their intimate scene, and basketball cutting issues with Sana Lathan
Jemele Hill▶ 1:05:19Quincy as a boyfriend - his selfish, entitled, arrogant behavior throughout the movie and how Monica constantly capitulates to his ego

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:10Debbi Morgan — Debra Morgan (Q's mom)
Jemele Hill▶ 1:12:09Debbi Morgan — Agrees with Debbie Morgan

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:05Erika Ringor — Sidra (played by Erica Ringer)
Jemele Hill▶ 1:14:44The entire team (collective performance showing team bond with minimal dialogue)

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:47Dennis Haysbert's hesitation after previous cheater role, Omar Epps playing second Quincy 'Q' character and dating Tyra Banks again, Gina Prince-Bythewood's fight for Maxwell's 'This Woman's Work' despite high cost, Sanaa Lathan never playing basketball again after filming
Jemele Hill▶ 1:21:41Reflects on it being sad that Sanaa Lathan never played basketball again after working so hard and seemingly getting good at it during filming

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:45Sanaa Lathan — Yes for Sanaa Lathan, No for Omar Epps
Jemele Hill▶ 1:24:02Omar Epps — Yes for Omar Epps (disagreeing with another host's no)

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:31:39Multiple quotes including 'She's a hoe because she sent you her coochie through the mail' and 'Are they cursing their mamas in Spain?'
Jemele Hill▶ 1:32:20Multiple quotes: 'honest tramp asshole', 'anything to keep your fine ass a Gucci and gold', and the Dick Vitale reference

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:35:53What happened to Tanya Randall after getting pregnant and losing her scholarship to Monica - thinks she stopped playing basketball and 'started pumping out kids'
Bill Simmons▶ 1:36:23Zeke's NBA career: played for USC late 70s, drafted by Bucks, played with Kareem, traded to Clippers, was a physical 2-guard/small forward averaging about 14 and 6, then became a 7th man veteran presence
Bill Simmons▶ 1:38:31Q was an undersized combo guard who NBA teams drafted too high, couldn't guard elite players, averaged about 3.7 points per game with one brief good stint with Lakers
Jemele Hill▶ 1:36:01Tanya Randall's basketball career was over, she couldn't believe Monica took her spot and 'silently cries' and 'weeps' when seeing Monica's success
Jemele Hill▶ 1:37:52Zeke was more of a 12 and 7 bench player and veteran presence guy
Jemele Hill▶ 1:39:09After the wedding cancellation, Tyra Banks hooked up with one of his teammates as revenge - someone more famous with a better career

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:40:49Sanaa Lathan — Sonia Latham - agreed with another host, noting she's a timeless role model and the type of character that wasn't in movies before, making you buy stock in the actress
Jemele Hill▶ 1:39:51Sanaa Lathan — Sunil Latham - praised her performance and how she represented the complicated dynamics of being a woman, female athlete, and black female athlete during that time, inspiring multiple generations of women

Movies Referenced (19)

The Best Man (1999)

5 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons▶ 12:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Major League (1989)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 8:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

A League of Their Own (1992)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Higher Learning (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill▶ 12:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jerry Maguire (1996)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill▶ 8:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky (1976)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 8:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Billy Elliot (2000)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gladiator (2000)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warrior (2011)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 3:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

You Can Count on Me (2000)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:22:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Almost Famous (2000)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brown Sugar (2002)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 12:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (2)

Spike Lee

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 17:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gina Prince-Bythewood

1 mentions · Jemele Hill · Known for Love & Basketball, The Old Guard▶ 19:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (50)

Monica Calhoun

26 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill · Known for The Best Man▶ 7:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Omar Epps

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill · Known for Love & Basketball▶ 12:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sanaa Lathan

13 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill · Known for Love & Basketball▶ 1:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gabrielle Union

12 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons · Known for Bring It On▶ 12:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dennis Haysbert

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill · Known for Far from Heaven▶ 11:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wood Harris

7 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons · Known for Remember the Titans, Ant-Man▶ 10:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alfre Woodard

5 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons · Known for 12 Years a Slave, Love & Basketball▶ 7:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Angela Bassett

5 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons · Known for Strange Days, Black Panther▶ 1:16:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Walton

5 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons · Known for Little Nicky, He Got Game, Forget Paris▶ 14:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dick Vitale

5 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons · Known for Love & Basketball, He Got Game, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 1:33:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Magic Johnson

5 mentions · Jemele Hill, Bill Simmons · Known for Brown Sugar▶ 1:31:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Regina King

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill · Known for The Harder They Fall▶ 1:17:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Fred Ebb

1 mentions · Jemele Hill · Known for Chicago▶ 34:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 37:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Robert Barcelona

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Elysium, Venom, Jurassic World▶ 43:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗