Image: courtesy of Playa Society.
Celebrating 25 years of Love & Basketball, Playa Society and Gina Prince-Bythewood debut a licensed capsule honoring the film’s legacy and today’s women’s basketball renaissance.
Twenty-five years later, and Love & Basketball is still shaping the culture. Case in point? Streetwear sports brand, Playa Society’s in collaboration with Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film’s director, has created a capsule collection inspired by the beloved sports romance.
First released in 2000, Love & Basketball sits comfortably on the Mount Rushmore of iconic Black films, and now, for the first time, the movie has licensed its logo and assets, marking a new era of sartorial storytelling. But the firsts don’t stop there.
The campaign also features New York Liberty stars Natasha Cloud and Isabelle Harrison, the real-life epitome of “love and basketball,” in their first official campaign as a couple.
The collection includes a hoodie, a “Ball Better Than You” T-shirt, and a hand-illustrated “Lil Monica” T-shirt. These pieces channel the revolutionary spirit of the film, which was one of the first mainstream representations of Black women in sports. Beyond the romance, Love & Basketball was a film about the subversion of gender roles, sacrifices and enduring ambition.
Beyond the stylistic power of these pieces, the collection reflects the film’s resounding influence on how Black women in sports are viewed. Love & Basketball served as an early impetus for the renaissance we’re seeing in women’s basketball today.
Above all else, this collection represents the culmination of years’ worth of cultural reverence, a concept Prince-Bythewood is continually wowed by.
“I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream,” Prince-Bythewood said of the collection.
Since its inception in 2018, Playa Society has championed women’s sports through a host of streetwear collaborations, but this team-up is the ultimate full-circle moment.
“I have been enamored by the dopeness and swagger of Esther Wallace and her Playa Society brand and knew I could trust her with the film’s legacy. It has been an inspiring collaboration,” said Prince-Bythewood.
For so long, the narratives surrounding Black women in sports have been molded by outsiders and naysayers. So to have these champions of Black sports storytelling team up for such a historic collaboration is the definition of off-court kismet.
“This collection is a reflection of the influence this film has had on culture, athletics, and storytelling, and I’m proud that Playa Society can help bring that legacy into the present,” said Wallace.
