The HBO series “Winning Time,” which is a fictionalized account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, has been a big hit with fans.
It has garnered some criticism along the way, most notably from members of those Lakers “Showtime” teams such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who have said the series is not an accurate account of what actually happened back then.
Jerry West, who became L.A.’s general manager in 1982, has gone so far as to threaten to take serious legal action because he has been portrayed by the show as an ogre who had severe anger management problems.
But what seems to matter most for television executives is ratings, and HBO recently announced that “Winning Time” will be back for a second season.
Jeff Pearlman is the author of the book that “Winning Time” has been based on, which is entitled “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.”
He has given an early glimpse into what the second season of the HBO series will feature.
Via Lakers Nation:
“I don’t know that much of it,” Pearlman admitted. “They’ve been really good about keeping me in the loop, keeping me involved, blah, blah, blah. I know it definitely involves sort of the transition to Paul Westhead becoming the coach and kind of Westhead and then Riley dynamic, and Riley kind of moving into power over Westhead, but I don’t… I mean, they’re writing it as we speak, literally writing as we speak. They’re probably in the room right now writing it. So my guess is almost as good as yours.”
Will ‘Winning Time’ eventually include an account of the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant Lakers teams?
Pearlman is also the author of “Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty,” which is a juicy account of the Lakers from 1996-2004 when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were the faces of the team.
Some people have heard rumors that “Winning Time” will eventually move on to covering that era of the Purple and Gold.
Pearlman also talked about that possibility.
“I hope we do. It’s not a guarantee. So when someone options something… like I’ve had a lot of my books optioned and never become anything. It basically means HBO retains the right to use it.
“If the series does really well and then they feel like there’s a place somewhere for the follow up with, you know, Shaq, Kobe or so, it could happen. It’d be great if it happens, but there’s no guarantee it’ll happen.”
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