The true stories behind HBO’s ‘Winning Time’: An episode-by-episode guide
HBO’s “Winning Time†tells the story of one of the greatest — and most influential — dynasties in basketball history: the “Showtime†Lakers of the 1980s.
Under the leadership of new owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly), star point guard Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah), veteran center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes), Laker great Jerry West (Jason Clarke) and general manager of the Forum Claire Rothman (Gaby Hoffmann), the team reinvented the game itself with a style of fast, fluid, improvisational play known as run-and-gun — and birthed the glitzy, glamorous modern sports league with dance troupes, dramatic lighting, courtside celebrities and more.
Based on the book by Jeff Pearlman, “Winning Time,†co-created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht and executive produced by Adam McKay, opens in 1979 with Buss’ purchase of the team from Jack Kent Cooke. But as it unfurls its dramatic tale, Season 1 of the series fudges some real-life details — and leaves out others.
Lucky for you, we’re leaving no stone unturned, exploring every aspect of the real-life Showtime: the symbiosis between Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson, the Lakers’ rivalry with the Boston Celtics, the coaching drama that put Pat Riley in the spotlight, Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis and much more. As you watch Season 1 of “Winning Time,†be sure to use our episode-by-episode guide.
“Winning Time†is based on Jeff Pearlman’s seminal book on the Showtime Lakers. But it makes some key changes.
Inside the nationwide search — and grueling training — Quincy Isaiah and Solomon Hughes went through to play a pair of Lakers legends.
Drugs, booze and the basest of behaviors were the norm at network TV sports divisions broadcasting the NBA during the era HBO’s Lakers drama depicts.
Everything you need to know about the fight over “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,†all in one place.
We explore how a rookie point guard and new team owner made the Showtime Lakers — and helped create the modern NBA.
We go inside the NBA’s fiercest rivalry to understand how Red Auerbach, Larry Bird and the city of Boston became the villains of “Winning Time.â€
We dig into the real-life saga behind the Laker coaches — Jerry West, Jack McKinney, Paul Westhead and Pat Riley — who appear in HBO’s ‘Winning Time.’
Actor Gaby Hoffmann and writer Rebecca Bertuch explain what’s fact and what’s fiction in the HBO series’ depiction of its women characters.
Solomon Hughes, who plays Abdul-Jabbar in ‘Winning Time,’ helps us tell the true story of the most misunderstood player in Lakers history.
Laker Girls. The Forum Club. Celebrities sitting courtside. The beating heart of Showtime-era Los Angeles was the “Fabulous Forum.â€
From a $6.6-million baseball card to today’s “microinfluencers,†Nike’s pursuit of Magic Johnson in ‘Winning Time’ only scratches the surface.
From ‘Winning Time’s’ portrayal of Lakers star Haywood to the broader U.S. war on drugs, we dive into the true story of drug use in the NBA.
Meet the director behind the final two episodes of “Winning Time†Season 1 — including the scene where Kareem teaches Magic the skyhook.
From David Stern to the Chicago Bulls, the NBA attained a new level of prominence in the ‘90s. We discuss how the Lakers of the ‘80s made it possible.
