MovieChat Forums > White Men Can't Jump (1992) Discussion > To all who say Woody + Wesley had no gam...

To all who say Woody + Wesley had no game

posted 12 years ago by Hemiola_78
5 replies | jump to latest

Occasionally I run into NBA star wannabes - both online and offline - who dismissively say neither Billy nor Sidney had any game, and consequently the idea of them being successful hustlers is silly. A couple of points to consider:

1. It's just a movie. Stallone and De Niro don't fight like world class pro boxers, so why would anyone expect these guys to play basketball like NBA players?

2. This movie was made more than 20 years ago. The game dynamics might have changed a little, both on the streets and on the courts.

3. They are never made out to be THAT good. At the very start Billy says he played in college in Louisiana and "things didn't work out". Later on he confesses to Gloria "there comes a point in every man's life... I admit the summer pro league hasn't been knocking on my door". When they play Flight & Willy they win through a combination of thrash talk, luck, and skill... not skill alone!

4. You don't need to be that good to hustle. I don't know what it's like in the US, but where I grew up not every street baller was training 4 hours/day, 7 days/week like a maniac. You got all sorts on the courts... occasional players, tourists, passerbyers, guys who hang around just to be somewhere for a couple of hours, people who can't even dribble/shoot with both hands... heck, even people who can't dribble with one hand properly!

5. Last but not least... Bob Lanier, who was hired to be their coach, was of the opinion that both Woody and Wesley reached the skill level of a NCAA Division III player. Is the average street baller (even in US) better than that? Doubt it.

[–] Blizzard_Beasts 12 years ago

I think you are complicating it too much.

They were in Venice Beach, California. Sidney's character was supposed to be "best streetballer on the Venice courts." Billy's character is supposed to be just as good as Sidney, so they are supposed to be the 2 best streetballers in the area.

That's why Sidney is smiling after Billy beat him in the beginning by hitting 5/5 shots and Sidney only hit 4/5. Sidney knew Billy was just as good as he was. He then knew they could make money by hustling everyone because he knew both of them on a team would be unstoppable.

That's why Sidney knocked on his door in the beginning of the movie after they had their "best of 5 shootout" and said, "i gotta admit nobody has ever worked me at the beach the way you did." Sidney knew he met his equal.

The characters were just supposed to be the best in the area.

[–] nerdbomber 11 years ago

I agree with Requiems point and I'll add my 2 cents. To be a successful street ballet in that area meant u needed to not only walk the walk, but talk the talk as well. You needed both skills to excel. Billy and Sidney had the highest combo of both. For example, their opponents in the 2 on 2 championship were more skilled and billy knew it, so he used mind games to defeat them. So his hoops skills plus his trash talk ability ultimately made him better than the opponents.

[–] maxthepupp 11 years ago

I would have to add the probability that Mr. Lanier was being nice. Especially to Woody.

[–] Cmbou812 11 years ago

Actually everyone involved in the movie said woody was way better then wesley at basketball but wesley was a grest athlete. I remember him going on arsenio hall show and playing and he had a great smooth shot!!

[–] kobrickmamba 11 years ago

woody harrelson was better then snipes at basketball, even though snipes is considered to be athletic.