HBO’s original series ‘Winning Time’ has been loved by Los Angeles Lakers fans, seeing the ‘Showtime’ era of Lakers basketball being brought to life. Allowing for fans to relive that era or for others to experience it for the first time and learn more about the Lakers became who they are today has been very refreshing, especially during the NBA offseason.
Now in its second season, the focus is centered around the 1980s and the ups and downs of each season detailing the building blocks of L.A.’s dynasty. One of the show’s main focuses is Dr. Jerry Buss, played by John C. Reilly, allowing viewers to see how he took a massive gamble of buying the Lakers and turning them into one of the most popular franchises in the world.
Reilly has gotten his recognition for his role in the show, recently by Jeanie Buss, who believes he’s done a really good job at capturing the essence of Dr. Buss. While having some issues with the show in the past, Jeanie made an appearance on the ‘Winning Time’ Podcast and shared her thoughts on Hadley Robinson, who plays Jeanie in the show:
“I mean, it’s humbling, very humbling and I get a kick out of people who say, ‘she’s not even blonde!’ I’m like, ‘neither am I!’ You have to compare her [Robinson] to Jeanie in the ’80s as opposed to Jeanie today. But, I think she did a terrific job, I think that people who are interested are understanding how I got to be where I am today. Because being the first woman in the NBA to win a championship, maybe there are some people who never heard my name before. Well if you want to understand what my background and how I evolved into where I am today, you get my early history and what my dad saw in me that made him feel confident that he could put the team in my control and that there would be no promises, because even Dr. Buss made mistakes along the way. He knew what I would bring to the job and what he instilled in me and that’s why I am here today.”
Robinson in ‘Winning Time’ has given Lakers fans an opportunity to learn more about Jeanie’s upbringing and what her roles were in the family business when Dr. Buss was running the Lakers. It allows for Jeanie’s story to get told and so far seems that she’s appreciative of what Robinson and the showrunners have done so far.
The show still has so many more stories to tell when it comes to the Lakers and the hope is ‘Winning Time’ will continue to tell them, providing a show that fans can enjoy for years to come.
Reilly thought Buss would kick him out of Crypto.com Arena while attending Lakers game
When ‘Winning Time’ kicked off with its first season in March 2022, there were some backlash from legends like Jerry West and Jeanie, who had issue with the way events were depicted. Because of that, Reilly was attending a Lakers game and ran into Jeanie, thinking he was going to get kicked out of the arena.
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