Los Angeles in the ’80s was the home of Showtime, a legendary basketball era when the Los Angeles Lakers won numerous championships and became celebrities in a city full of stars. Next month, HBO is revisiting this point in history with a new original series, Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty. And if the latest trailer is any indication, it’s going to be a wild ride.
The new footage largely focuses on Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly), an investor who sold many of his assets to buy the team because he had a vision for what the Lakers could become. Under Buss’ ownership, the Lakers reclaimed their glory days and became even bigger than ever before. One of the main reasons why was the arrival of Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah), a singular talent who also had a massive impact on the NBA. Both men get a good deal of screen time in the trailer, but they aren’t the only major players in this tale.
Winning Time has lined up a phenomenal cast to portray many of the important figures from the Lakers of that era. Jason Clarke co-stars as general manager Jerry West, with Adrien Brody as Coach Pat Riley, Gaby Hoffmann as Claire Rothman, Tracy Letts as Jack McKinney, Jason Segel as Paul Westhead, Julianne Nicholson as Cranny McKinney, Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss, DeVaughn Nixon as Norm Nixon, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Tamera Tomakili as Earlitha “Cookie” Kelly.
Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht co-created the series, which was inspired by Jeff Pearlman’s book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. Adam McKay directed and executive produced the series. The first episode of Winning Time will premiere on Sunday, March 6.
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