‘Sex and basketball’: TV show to reveal all about 1980s LA Lakers dynasty

One of the most iconic sporting dynasties will feature in a new TV series that will take you behind the glitz and glamour of the LA Lakers.

Magic Johnson and The Lakers' 1980s dynasty will be depicted in a new TV show.

One of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA has received the Hollywood treatment.

HBO has announced it will soon be releasing an original series chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sport’s most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court.

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The 10-part original series, titled Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, will focus on Earvin “Magic” Johnson — the No. 1 draft pick who became a superstar and made the Lakers one of the most popular franchises in the NBA.

Johnson won five NBA championships with the Lakers in the 1980s and is regarded as the best point guard of all time, and arguably the most influential Laker ever.

He and teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were a key part of getting the Lakers to play “Showtime” basketball — an up-tempo style of play relying on fast breaks and slick passing.

Winning Time is directed by Adam McKay (The Big Short, Vice) and will be released on Binge in March. A release date is yet to be confirmed but the teaser trailer is available to watch.

Style. Pizzazz. Basketball.#WinningTime, a new @HBO original series from Adam McKay, comes to @HBOMax in March. pic.twitter.com/1Rc3A362Nb

— HBO (@HBO) December 9, 2021

The series will also focus heavily on the behind-the-scenes aspects of what it took to build the Lakers into one of sport’s most successful and popular teams.

Owner of the Lakers, Jerry Buss (played by John C. Reilly), bought the team in 1979 and was intent on making sure the Lakers played entertaining basketball.

John C. Reilly (left) and Quincy Isaiah (middle) as Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson in Winning Time.

Buss introduced dancers and live bands at games and steered the Lakers through the Showtime Erain the 1880s.

“There’s two things in this world that make me believe in God,” Buss says in the trailer for Winning Time. “It’s sex and basketball.

“I want to build something special. A real dynasty.”

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Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's rivalry is one of a number of storylines to be featured in the show.

Winning Time features an impressive cast of characters, including Johnson’s teammates Abdul-Jabbar and Norm Nixon, coach Pat Riley, general manager Jerry West, current owner Jeanie Buss and Earlitha “Cookie” Kelly, who Johnson later married.

Johnson’s rivalry with the Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird in the 1980s is credited with attracting a new legion of fans after a period of declining interest in the NBA.

Bird and Johnson had contrasting styles of play and met several times in NBA Finals series throughout the decade. Their rivalry and relationship is likely to be unpacked in the show.

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty will be released on Binge in March. Watch the trailer here.

Originally published as ‘Sex and basketball’: TV show to reveal all about 1980s LA Lakers dynasty