HBO’s new series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” tells the real-life story of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA team in the 1980s. That’s when the franchise started a new era of dominant basketball, dubbed “Showtime” by their new owner, Dr. Jerry Buss. Earvin “Magic” Johnson joined the team at the end of 1979 for his rookie year, and he and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers to the NBA championship that season. The team then went on dominate the league for the rest of the decade.
Under the leadership of Dr. Buss and head coach Paul Westhead, the team became a fun, exciting attraction that drew in celebrity fans and made home games an event. Between Magic on the court and the brand new Lakers Girls on the sidelines, the environment at games was transformed.
The new series features newcomer Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson, John C. Reilly as Dr. Jerry Buss, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Jason Segel as Paul Westhead, Tamera Tomakili as Earlitha Kelly (aka Magic’s present-day wife, Cookie Johnson), and Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss.
Ahead of its March 6 premiere, the show has already been met with criticism. Magic Johnson said he wasn’t looking forward to its premiere and was more excited for his own upcoming Apple TV+ documentary and Jeannie Buss’s Netflix series about the Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has also spoken out against it, saying that the real-life people portrayed should have been involved.
Keep reading to see all the actors side by side with the real life people they’re portraying.
HBO
Quincy Isaiah as Earvin "Magic" Johnson in "Winning Time"
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Magic Johnson in Real Life
Earvin “Magic” Johnson joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1979-1980 season after they drafted him first overall in the NBA Draft. Johnson played 13 seasons for the Lakers. He won league MVP three times, played in nine NBA finals, and was a member of five championship Lakers teams in the ’80s.
In 1991, Johnson announced that he is HIV-positive. Though he faced a lot of discrimination from other NBA players because of the news, the news was also essential to helping get rid of the stigma that HIV/AIDS only affects gay people. To this day, Johnson remains a vocal advocate for HIV/AIDS patients and research.
HBO
Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in "Winning Time"
Everett Collection / Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Real Life
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was already the centrepiece of the Lakers when Johnson was drafted by the team, having joined the squad in 1975. In 1980, he was named league MVP for a record sixth time, and he was an essential part of getting the Lakers their 1980s championships.
In 1980, Abdul-Jabbar starred in the classic comedy film “Airplane!” He’s continued to be a pop culture icon, appearing on shows like “Full House,” “Living Single,” “Scrubs,” “New Girl,” and “The Big Bang Theory” and even competing on “Dancing With The Stars.” He also wrote for the 2019 “Veronica Mars” revival.
HBO
John C. Reilly as Dr. Jerry Buss in "Winning Time"
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Dr. Jerry Buss in Real Life
Dr. Jerry Buss used the money he made in real estate to buy the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. The deal also included ownership of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, which he later sold. Buss had a vision for a flashier, more exciting game, inspired by the college basketball games he loved so much. When the WNBA formed in 1996, he became the owner of the Los Angeles Sparks. Buss died in 2013 after a battle with cancer.
HBO
Jason Segel as Paul Westhead in “Winning Time”
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Paul Westhead in Real Life
Paul Westhead became the Lakers’ head coach in 1979 when then-head coach Jack McKinney was in a near-fatal bike accident. Westhead led the team to the 1980 championship, but was fired early in his third season after tensions with Johnson bubbled over.
HBO
DeVaughn Nixon as Norm Nixon in "Winning Time"
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Norm Nixon in Real Life
Norm Nixon was an essential piece of the Lakers during the Showtime era, and played for the team from 1977 through 1983. He was then traded to the San Diego Clippers.
HBO
Jason Clarke as Jerry West in "Winning Time"
HBO
Adrien Brody as Pat Riley in “Winning Time”
Getty / Manny Millan
Jerry West and Pat Riley in Real Life
Jerry West (left) coached the Lakers in the ’70s before moving to the team’s scouting department. In 1982, he became the team’s general manager. He stayed with the team until 2000.
Pat Riley (right) served as an assistant coach to Westhead, and took over head coaching duties when Westhead was fired. Riley stepped down from the team in 1990, having helped the team secure four championships.
HBO
Tamera Tomakili as Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in “Winning Time”
Getty / Ted Soqui
Earlitha "Cookie" Kelly in Real Life
Magic Johnson married Earlitha Kelly – better known as Cookie Johnson – in 1991. The pair met as college freshman in 1977. The couple have two children together: EJ and Elisa. Magic also has a son, Andre, from another relationship.
HBO
Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss in “Winning Time”
Getty / M. Tran
Jeanie Buss in Real Life
Jeannie Buss – the daughter of Dr. Jerry Buss – got involved with the Lakers after her father bought the team. After her father’s death, she took over as team president and represents the team on the NBA Board of Governors. When the Lakers won the NBA Championship in 2020, she became the first female controlling owner to win the title.
