In the original shoot Kanye West and Amber Rose shot a courtside scene at one of the games. Before the movie was released Kanye had his Taylor Swift moment at the Grammy's which could be why his scene was cut.
The original shoot of the movie featured a cameo by Lawrence Frank, Head Coach of the Nets. However, after starting the 2009-10 NBA season 0-16, Frank was fired by the Nets, so the filmmakers had Nets Assistant Coach Jim Sann play the Head Coach. During some scenes Frank is still visible.
Queen Latifah and Common would go on to star in the NBC live musical The Wiz Live! in 2015.
Common's first leading role. He worked with acting coaches Greta Seacat, Sandra Seacat and Ivanna Chubbuck in preparation.
A Chicago Bulls fan since boyhood, Common took a lot of pride in making sure that the basketball scenes in the film were authentic. He credits former NBA point guard, Baron Davis, for the most help as he readied himself for the role. He followed Davis to practice, workout sessions, even meetings with Davis' agent. He also trained with a member of the New Jersey Nets staff. Some workouts would consist of 500 shots a day, while others would focus on defense.