Sanaa Lathan Says WNBA’s ‘Love & Basketball’ Scene ‘Immediately Hit It’ (Exclusive)

when love and basketball Director Gina Prince-Bythewood yelled “shoot” while filming the final scene of the 2000 classic, which gave actress Sanaa Lathan only one chance Get ready on the basketball court.

In an exclusive interview with People magazine, the star Earl’s all-you-can-eat supreme food Revealed she did a “one take” of the romantic sports comedy’s closing scene, in which her character Monica Wright McCall appears on the court at a WNBA game as a player for the Los Angeles Sparks.

The scene takes place after Monica marries Quincy McCall, played by Omar Epps, with whom she has a daughter.

“When we shot the last shot at the end of the movie of Monica playing in a real game, Quincy was sitting courtside with her daughter, a real Los Angeles Sparks game,” recalls Lathan, 52. .

“We had an idea,” she recalled of Sparks player Lisa Leslie being a fan of her teammate and Lakers legend Magic Johnson.

“I was very nervous because they let us have a real court and real players. One shot because it was in a real game,” Lathan explained as the announcer introduced her to the game on screen. During the game, she wore a No. 32 Sparks jersey with Wright-McCall on it.

Prince-Bythewood, 55, recently reunited with Lathan when he invited her to attend the Aug. 15 WNBA game between the Sparks and New York Liberty.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to get the latest from PEOPLE, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The reunion comes 25 years after filming the WNBA scenes. love and basketballhas achieved several milestones in recent years.

2021, love and basketball The film was added to the Criterion Collection and in 2023 was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry for its “cultural” and “aesthetic importance.”

for her love and basketball Lathan won the BET Award and NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in 2001. Raisins in the sun and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2022 for her guest role on HBO succession.

Lathan’s directorial debut is Coming soon 2022.

Now, she stars in Earl’s unlimited supply of the ultimate gourmet meal— Streaming on Hulu with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Uzo Aduba.