There are few things that are better at helping pass the time than watching old sports movies.
While working from home, I decided to turn on a movie to play in the background. The movie I chose to play was White Men Can't Jump, because the movie is entertaining enough to watch for the 238th time while also trying to be semi-productive. However, I soon stopped to make a cup of coffee and take in a few moments of the movie uninterrupted.
Then arguably the most egregious basketball thing ever happened.
We love White Men Can't Jump...but have we acknowledged that this Sidney Deane pass to Billy Hoyle OFF THE RIM is the funniest thing ever? pic.twitter.com/MntPkgfF4Y
— Eddie Maisonet, III (@edthesportsfan) December 27, 2016
It's something I've noticed in the movie so many times, but I never took the time to fully digest what happened. This man, Sidney Deane, decided to bypass a wide open layup (Sidenote: that defense, good grief) and pass the ball off the rim/backboard to Billy Hoyle for a 20-foot jumper. First off, who decided this was the best idea? Did Wesley Snipes just ad-lib this during filming? Did the producers actually write this into the script for Sidney to do? Did Woody Harrelson go to Snipes and say, "bet $20 you won't throw it off the backboard hard as hell to me" during the game? Who let this happen?
Funny thing is, this might not be the most absurd play in basketball movie history as Above The Rim still holds the title, but it made for a great laugh while trying to be productive working from home. Well done Sidney Deane, we're thankful for your absurd passing skills.
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”
