Twenty years ago, Love and Basketball was released to theaters and over the years it would cement its place as a classic romance flick.
But to simply categorize it as a romance movie would be a disservice, considering the movie explored all the aspects of life that can impact a relationship. Career anxieties, unresolved parent issues and gender dynamics were key pillars to the movie written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
The two characters from Love and Basketball caught feelings at 11 years old, and throughout the movie, it becomes clear why Monica (played by Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (played by Omar Epps) were in it for the long run.
Although Quincy wasn’t perfect (let’s not forget how he was parading around Monica Calhoun‘s character when him and Monica were beefing), Quincy made up for his mistakes and demonstrated healthy ways of being in a relationship.
Check out five scenes that showed off his eligible boyfriend skills starting below. Then hit the flip for more aspirational scenes involving Quincy McCall.
That time he checked Monica for sex shaming Shawnee in the car
As a kid, Quincy had already developed toxic views about women, greeting Monica with “girls can’t play no ball!” When the two eleven-year-olds decided to go steady for two minutes, he even had rigid ideas about how Monica should act as his girlfriend.
However, by the time they entered high school, Quincy surprisingly called out Monica on her rigid gender ideas when she called a girl Quincy was interested in (Gabrielle Union) a “ho.”
“Why she gotta be a ho? Because she want to get with me?” Quincy questioned Monica. When Monica reiterated that she simply wants to “bone” Quincy, he replied, “at least she’s honest.”
Sex positivity for the win.
That time Quincy remembered how many offensive rebounds Monica had in a game
It’s the little things.
After the high school dance, Monica was talking to Quincy from her window and said she couldn’t remember how many offensive rebounds she had during a game, to which Quincy responded “four.”
Get you a guy who’s paying attention to your stats and dreams.
That time he made Monica take a break from stressing so they can play strip basketball
Sex can be an important part to a relationship and Quincy always kept in steamy. After Monica had a stressful day of basketball practice, he challenged her to a game of basketball in his dorm room. The stakes?
Clothes.
What resulted was a sexy game of strip basketball where ass was showing and the love-making that followed was left to the imagination.
That time Quincy challenged Monica on why she wasn’t playing basketball anymore
Towards the end of the movie, Monica traded in her basketball sneakers for a pair of shoes she could barely walk in (Quincy’s words). When Quincy asked her why she was giving up on a sport that she loved, Monica didn’t have an answer for Quincy in that moment. However, later in the movie she would reveal that basketball isn’t fun anymore because Quincy is missing.
Even before Quincy knew this, it’s clear he cared about Monica’s career just as much as he did their intimate relationship.
I say again, get you a guy who’s paying attention to your dreams.
That time Quincy admitted to his own mess-ups
Two weeks before Quincy’s wedding to Kyra (Tyra Banks), Monica revealed that she’s still in love with him outside his window. When Quincy gave her some pushback, Monica says that she knows why Quincy broke up with her in college. In her head, it was because she prioritized ball over him.
However, Quincy owned up to his mistakes, saying he sabotaged the relationship because he was “lost” after he found out his dad cheated on his mom. “I couldn’t trust anybody,” he explained.
Such self-evaluation is key to a relationship and Quincy clearly showed his growth from his teenage years to adulthood. By the end of the movie, it’s hard not to root for the couple’s relationship.
Luckily a “double or nothing” basketball match would cement their relationship in cinematic history.
