The winning tempo era continues into a new decade, thanks to the historic rise of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Season 2 of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” kicks off with the Lakers winning the 1980 Finals. John C. Reilly returns as head coach Jerry Buss, who led Earvin to glory” Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) and the rest of the LA Lakers.
In Season 2, “Winning Time” continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. This season focuses on the immediate aftermath of the Finals from 1980 to 1984, culminating in the first professional rematch of the era’s biggest stars: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The future of sport is purple and gold. New decade. New season.
Adrien Brody, Jason Clarke, Gaby Hoffmann, Jason Segel and Hadley Robinson reprise their respective roles, with DeVaughn Nixon, Solomon Hughes, Tamera Tomakili, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Spencer Garrett, Molly Gordon, Joey Brooks, Delante Desouza, Jimel Atkins , Austin Aaron, McCabe Slye, Thomas Mann, Gillian Jacobs, Michael Chiklis and Rob Morgan round out the ensemble cast.
“Winning Time” is produced by Adam McKay and Kevin Messick for Hyperobject Industries. Co-creator Max Borenstein serves as executive producer and showrunner alongside co-creator Jim Hecht. Scott Stephens, Rodney Barnes, Jason Shuman and director Salli Richardson-Whitfield are also executive producers.
Lead star Reilly backed the Lakers’ controversial portrayal of the era, saying in a Vulture interview last year, “The overall plot is based on historical fact, but we fill in a lot of blanks. I knew it would be difficult for those involved in this story to have their lives depicted in a semi-fictional way. But that doesn’t mean this story shouldn’t be told.
IndieWire critic Ben Travers praised the first season in his review last year, writing, “For sports fans (particularly Lakers devotees), the 10-episode first season’s unrepentantly skewed depiction of the building of a dynasty through an almost catastrophic obsession should carry weight. For everyone else, it still puts on a show.
“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” Season 2 will debut August 6 at 9 PM ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. Check out the trailer below.
