Lakers: Watch The First Trailer For Adam McKay's New HBO Max Lakers Series
The first trailer for the upcoming, star-studded HBO Max series "Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty" has been unleashed upon the masses!
From executive producer/director Adam McKay (director of Anchorman, Step Brothers, and The Big Short, and executive producer of Succession), the series tracks the origins of the Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "Showtime" era of the Los Angeles Lakers, starting in the late 1970s.
The preview opens with a (literal) bang, as John C. Reilly's Dr. Jerry Buss makes his peerless charisma and swagger felt with one heck of a line: "There's two things in this world that make me believe in God: It's sex and basketball."
The show is based on Jeff Pearlman's New York Times best-seller Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.
As the Hollywood Reporter initially announced, the cast is no joke. Step Brothers star Reilly plays the irascible Dr. Jerry Buss, and Oscar winner Adrien Brody plays eventual Lakers head coach Pat Riley. Jason Segel plays Paul Westhead, the Lakers' head coach at the start of the 1979-1980 season who helps guide LA to the 1980 title before eventually getting replaced by Riley in 1982. Community/Love star Gillian Jacobs will play Pat's wife Chris Riley. Zero Dark Thirty star Jason Clarke is depicting Laker legend and eventual team GM Jerry West.
One fresh face stands out in this trailer, however: Quincy Isaiah, depicting effervescent Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson. In addition to resembling Magic, he too apparently hails from Michigan, just 100 miles away from Johnson's hometown of Lansing. 6'11" former UC Berkeley star Solomon Hughes portrays the cerebral Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Hughes, a former Harlem Globetrotter, also played pro ball in the USBL, ABA and Mexico. Hughes suited up at UC Berkeley from 1998-2002, and holds NCAA averages of 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game.
The trailer appears to depict Dr. Buss's purchasing of the Lakers and Magic's drafting. This era appears to wholly precede James Worth, but a prominent role seems to exist for two-time All-Star point guard Norm Nixon, played by his son DeVaughn.
In yet another casting coup, a two-time Oscar winner, Sally Field, will depict Dr. Buss's mother, Jessie Buss. The Shield star Michael Chiklis plays Boston Celtics coach-turned-general manager Red Auerbach, which is just a spot-on casting choice.
It looks like there will be prominent roles in the series for Molly Gordon (playing Forum employee Linda Zafrani), Spencer Garrett (playing longtime Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn), Rob Morgan (portraying Magic Johnson's father, Earvin Johnson Sr.), Sean Patrick Small (as Larry Bird) and another newcomer, Delante Desouza (depicting 1987 Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Defensive Teamer Michael Cooper).
The shows IMDb page is stacked, too. Apparently Mike Epps will be playing Richard Pryor in six episodes!
