Last summer, HBO debuted a new original series named ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,’ a fictional drama that was based on the book ‘Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s’ by Jeff Pearlman. Season 1 caught the attention of Los Angeles Lakers fans and shortly after the finale, it was revealed that there would be a Season 2.
The first season showcased the 1979-80 season with Dr. Jerry Buss, played by John C. Reilly, buying the team and drafting Magic Johnson, showing the highs and lows that would end in an eventual NBA Championship. However, due to the show’s dramatization, Jerry West was unhappy with his portrayal and Jeanie Buss was not a fan of the storytelling as well. Her response would be a Hulu documentary to tell the real story, ‘Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers’.
The first trailer for ‘Winning Time’ was released on June 12 to announce the new season, but now a second trailer has been released with less than a month until Season 2’s release. This new trailer showcases the potential for different storylines and seems to be more ambitious than Season 1, via Winning Time HBO:
It takes more than one championship to build a dynasty.
A new season of the @HBO Original Series #WinningTime premieres August 6 on @StreamOnMax.
— Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (@winningtimehbo) July 20, 2023
The central theme for this new season seems to focus more on the Lakers and Boston Celtics rivalry. There were some cameos of Larry Bird in Season 1, but it appears that Johnson versus Bird is the selling point judging by the trailer and some of the posters that were released.
It is to be assumed that this season pick up where Season 1 ended off and will go through the 1980s, where the Celtics and Lakers would meet in the Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Those Laker teams would feature Byron Scott and James Worthy, so while they were not showcased in the trailer, one can expect to see those players come to the screen.
Despite some backlash from Laker legends and distaste among the front office, the anticipation for ‘Winning Time’ seems to be growing. The series is back on Aug. 6, available to watch on Max.
Magic Johnson reacts to officially becoming part-owner of NFL’s Commanders
While Johnson was revolutionary during his career as an NBA player, he has become a successful businessman since retiring from basketball. Johnson is a part of the group led by Josh Harris to purchase the NFL’s Washington Commanders, and he expressed his excitement to be entering the football ownership world.
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