Love & Basketball - Plot

Plot

The film spans through roughly thirteen years of friendship between childhood sweethearts Monica Wright and Quincy McCall. The film is split into four quarters; in the first, Monica and her family move to Los Angeles in 1981 from Atlanta, Georgia and become acquainted with their new neighbors the McCalls, a wealthy family due to Quincy's father Zeke being the shooting guard for the Los Angeles Clippers. Quincy and Monica are drawn to each other and share a passion for basketball.

The second quarter begins in 1988 when Monica and Quincy, still friends, are the respective leaders of their high school teams. Scouts have taken clear notice of Quincy, who many see as one of the top prospects in the country. His popularity is evident on the court as well as off the court with several girls who attend his school. Monica, on the other hand, struggles with her fiery emotions on the court, which hinders her career to the point that scouts turn away from her. She also struggles with the emotions she secretly still harbors for Quincy and has a strained relationship with her mother Camille, who for years has tried unsuccessfully to get Monica to be more feminine. Instead Monica resists as she views her mother as weak and submissive. Meanwhile, the relationship between Quincy's parents has slowly begun to deteriorate as late work nights causes Quincy's mother to suspect Zeke of infidelity. Eventually, as time passes Monica learns to control her emotions and leads her team to the state championship game where they lose. She recovers from the loss with the help of her older sister, Lena, who gives her a makeover and finds an attractive college friend to take her to the spring dance. At the dance, Monica and Quincy find themselves jealously glancing at each other and their respective dates. Later that night after the dance, they speak to each other outside her window and reveal to each other how their dates did not meet their needs. She lets him know that she has a letter from USC and insists he opens it. After the letter reveals that she has been accepted, he finally announces that USC was also his top choice. As they reach to congratulate one another with a hug their lips meet in a kiss while realizing their true feelings for each other and have sex for the first time.

The third quarter follows Quincy and Monica during their freshman year at USC, where they manage themselves as athletes, students, and a couple. While Quincy finds instant success on the court, as well as more female admirers, Monica struggles to receive time on the court. As more talent scouts take notice of Quincy his father tries to encourage him to finish his education before pursuing the NBA professionally. Monica's relationship with Quincy becomes strained as he struggles to deal with the media attention surrounding a paternity suit against his father filed by a former lover. Quincy feels betrayed by his father for lying to him and threatens to leave school early for the NBA. Monica finally earns the starting point guard spot at the end of the season. Quincy, however, believing that Monica did not pay enough attention to him during his difficulties with his father's infidelity, decides to break up with Monica and declare for the NBA draft.

The fourth quarter takes place during the early 1990s, a few years before the establishment of the WNBA. Monica's prospects for professional basketball lie exclusively in the International Women's Basketball Association as she lives in Barcelona, Spain where she is a local sports celebrity and the focal point of her team's offense. Despite leading her team to a championship, she realizes she has lost her love for the game. Meanwhile, Quincy is now in his fifth year in the NBA after leaving USC after his freshman season, serving as a bench player for the Los Angeles Lakers. Rarely receiving time on the court, during a Lakers blowout win, Quincy injures himself during a slam dunk. His parents who are now divorced attend to him at the hospital. When Monica hears about Quincy's injury she immediately flies home to see him. After she learns that Quincy is engaged and meets his fiancée, Kyra, Monica realizes that her feelings for Quincy have never been truer and that she is still in love with him.

Over the next few months, Quincy undergoes rehabilitation while the day of his wedding draws closer. By this time, Monica has decided to give up basketball, and when Quincy asks why she states that it is no longer fun for her. Quincy tells her he never knew anyone who loved basketball as much as she did. Monica's own mother, who for so long did not understand Monica's love of the game, encourages her not to give up on it. Later on, he and Monica meet up once again as friends and reminisce over their shared past. At this point, Quincy has recovered from his injury, and Monica, acting on her feelings, issues an ultimatum. She challenges him to one final game on the court: if he loses, he calls off the wedding and chooses Monica; if not, he marries his fiancée. Quincy agrees and beats her in a close game, but realizes he can no longer be apart from Monica and chooses her. The film fast-forwards to 1998. Monica has gone pro in the WNBA as a member of the Los Angeles Sparks. She has married Quincy and uses the surname Wright-McCall. The film ends with Quincy helping their baby daughter to cheer on Monica as she is introduced at a Sparks game.