The Los Angeles Lakers docuseries is mere days away from its release on Hulu. The 10-part series will begin from the moment Jerry Buss bought the Lakers to the 2020 championship in the bubble.
The release comes after a time full of criticism toward HBO’s “Winning Time.” The series, which is beginning to cast for the second season, has been a major talking point for former Lakers. It is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book chronicling the rise of the Showtime Lakers.
Ever since the drama reached its premiere date, controversy surrounded the program.
Magic Johnson said he didn’t look forward to its release. Multiple people part of the Showtime Lakers expressed their anger over their portrayals, most notably Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and that the show got the story wrong. Magic even released his own documentary “They Call Me Magic” on Apple+.
Abdul-Jabbar, who wrote an entire column highlighting his distaste, offered clarity about his participation in Hulu’s series to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group:
Said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for example: “There’s always some stuff out there that’s not accurate, or way off course. And this gives me an opportunity to have my say, and be accurate, and hopefully people who watch this film understand it’s the real deal.”
In the HBO series, Kareem described himself as a “pompous prick” and a character that wasn’t fully developed. He also emphasized that the story of Showtime is “amazing, compelling, [and] culturally insightful.” However, he doubled down that “Winning Time” isn’t that story.
Some of the show did seem to be accurate though.
Jeanie Buss confirmed a scene on “Winning Time” with Jerry Buss and Magic was indeed true. The scene offered an example of the strong bond between the owner and star player. However, in the same tweet Jeanie confirmed the scene, she wrote the real story will be in the Hulu documentary.
Set to release on Aug. 15, fans will surely be looking forward to learning more about one of the most storied franchises in sports.
Second trailer releases for 10-part docuseries
Many Laker greats were present in the final trailer of Hulu’s docuseries on the Purple and Gold. LeBron James was the first face on the screen, but not the last — Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Pat Riley were among the many to join the King.
The trailer added anticipation for the upcoming series.
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