During a particularly disappointing season, some nights it’s tough to watch 48 minutes of Los Angeles Lakers basketball. Luckily, there will soon be a new way to get your Lakers fix, plus a load of magic.
AppleTV+ announced their four-part documentary series, directed by Rick Famuyiwa, about Los Angeles icon Magic Johnson back in February, along with a 30-second teaser.
Now, the streaming platform released the official trailer for the anticipated series set to premiere on April 22:
Official Trailer | The real story of basketball legend @MagicJohnson. #TheyCallMeMagic premieres April 22 on Apple TV+ https://t.co/R8KX7c4uot pic.twitter.com/k4TrBlyvvx
— Apple TV+ (@AppleTVPlus) March 12, 2022
“They Call Me Magic” joins the recent trend to bring the Lakers franchise to the silver screen, as HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” shows a more dramatic telling of Johnson’s rise with the team. AppleTV+ has set their series apart by having unprecedented access to Johnson through decades of footage and interviews from those close to him.
The series will document Johnson’s life beginning in Lansing, Michigan and explore his impact on sports, Los Angeles culture, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and his contributions to the Black community.
Johnson had one of the most captivating careers while playing for the Purple and Gold. His accolades include five NBA championships, three MVP titles, three finals MVPs and nine All-NBA First Team appearances. He’s in the conversation for one of the best basketball players of all time, and his time on the Lakers forever changed the league as he catapulted the franchise into stardom.
The true greatness in Johnson lies in what he did after his basketball career. His HIV diagnosis and abrupt retirement from the league could have been the end of Johnson’s impact. Instead, he fought to remove the stigma associated with HIV, became a spokesperson for sexual health and beat near-impossible odds to inspire a generation traumatized by the disease.
Johnson’s genius on the court translated into incredible business savvy in the years following his second retirement from the NBA. In the years following, Johnson used his influence to start a record label, a production company, a chain of movie theaters and most notably, he owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, is co-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks and is the president of basketball operations for the Lakers.
The series will no doubt cover all of Johnson’s accomplishments along with interviews from former president Barack Obama, Samuel L. Jackson, Johnson’s son EJ and numerous NBA players.
Lakers fans will get a fresh take on basketball operations with Netflix’s upcoming Lakers-inspired comedy special
When someone is laughing at your favorite team, it’s usually a bad thing. Frustrated Lakers fans can indulge in some stress-free viewing once Netflix releases its 10-episode comedy series based on Jeanie Buss and the Lakers franchise.
Buss is an executive producer on the project, along with Mindy Kailing and Linda Rambis, wife of former Lakers coach and player Kurt Rambis.
Netflix announced the show in June, but has not released any news regarding the show since then.
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