White Men Can't Jump

White Men Can't Jump is a 1992 American sports comedy film written and directed by Ron Shelton. It stars Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as streetball hustlers. The film was released in the United States on March 27, 1992, by 20th Century Fox. Plot Billy Hoyle is a former college basketball player who makes his living by hustling streetballers who assume he cannot play well because he is white. Sidney Deane is a talented but cocky player who is twice beaten by Billy, once in a half-court team game and later in a one-on-one shootout for money. Billy and his live-in girlfriend, Gloria Clemente, are on the run from the Stucci brothers, mobsters to whom he owes a gambling debt. A voracious reader who frequently makes note of obscure facts, Gloria's goal in life is to be a contestant on the television game show Jeopardy! and make a fortune. Sidney wants to buy a house for his family outside the rough Baldwin Village neighborhood. He proposes a business partnership with Billy where they will hustle other players by deliberately setting them up to pick Billy as Sidney's teammate. At first, their system is very successful, but when they unexpectedly lose a game, it turns out that Sidney had double-crossed Billy by deliberately playing badly to avenge his earlier loss to him, causing Billy to lose $1,700 to a group of Sidney's friends. Gloria, who wants Billy to find a stable job, is incensed at Billy for blowing his money again, but realizes he was hustled after Billy tells her how it happened. They go to Sidney's apartment and appeal to his wife, Rhonda. The women agree to share the money, provided Sidney and Billy team up for a major two-on-two outdoor tournament. Despite their constant bickering, Sidney and Billy win the tournament and the grand prize of $5,000, largely due to Billy's ability to disrupt his opponents' concentration. Billy's most notable claim is that he is "in the zone", a state of mind in which nothing can distract him. Sidney is pleased with the outcome, but he cannot help mocking Billy about his inability to slam dunk.