The Showtime Lakers have become the Showtime Loathers when it comes to the new HBO series about them. A report this week is now painting a clearer picture of why exactly they may feel that way.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Lacey Rose reported Wednesday on HBO’s series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which will premiere on March 6. The series is a dramatized retelling of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers with actors portraying the key figures of that era.
Rose revealed in her report that a few of those associated with the Showtime Lakers era have expressed their concerns that the series will not whitewash some of the more unsavory parts of NBA life. Rose adds that league lawyers have also reached out about the use of NBA logos and trademarks.
The report also reveals many other interesting details about “Winning Time” and how it came together. You can read it in its entirety here.
A big part of what made the Showtime Lakers’ story so compelling was the debauchery that the team became notorious for. Late Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss threw all kinds of wild Hollywood parties that the Lakers players would frequent. Then after Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis in 1991, Johnson sought to raise awareness about the dangers of unprotected sex.
Nowadays, most of the Lakers players from that era are in their 60s or 70s, so it makes sense that they might not want their bacchanalian excesses of decades past to be put back into the spotlight, particularly with Hollywood’s penchant for stretching the truth. Additionally as Rose also notes, none of the players or figures from the Showtime era have creative control over or are profiting from the HBO series.
While “Winning Time” remains one of the most anticipated series of 2022, we know that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has spoken out against the project. The same is true of Johnson, the other pillar of the Showtime era, though that may be because he has some competing series on the horizon. As for the other figures depicted, it appears that they would have preferred a more sanitized retelling of their Showtime days.
Photo: Mar 23, 2018; Omaha, NE, USA; NBA former player Magic Johnson watches during the first half between the Clemson Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks in the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
