Selome Hailu “You can’t do a story about the Lakers without the Lakers,” Magic Johnson says. “The real Lakers. You gotta have the guys.”In a new interview for this week’s cover story of Variety, the NBA legend shared his unfiltered thoughts about “Winning Time,” HBO’s scripted drama about the Showtime era of the Lakers, which has just been renewed for its second season.
Johnson said he refuses to watch the series, and he’s baffled that neither HBO nor the creative executives — which include executive producer Adam McKay — sought participation from him or his teammates. (A rep from HBO declined to comment.)Showtime coincided with Johnson’s tenure on the Lakers from 1979 to 1991, at which point he retired after being diagnosed with HIV. As explained in Johnson’s upcoming Apple TV Plus docuseries “They Call Me Magic,” NBA games were so scarcely watched before Johnson was drafted that the primetime networks debated whether to air them at all.
But Johnson’s chemistry on the court with his teammates, especially Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, combined with entertainment strategies implemented by new owner Jerry Buss, turned professional basketball into a must-see spectacle. Because of those unique conditions, Johnson believes that it’s impossible to tell the story without the involvement of the people who lived it.“There’s no way to duplicate Showtime. I don’t care who you get.
So let’s go through it like this,” Johnson told Variety. “Showtime started on the court. Just unbelievable.
We changed basketball! Fast-breaking entertainment: Every time out, Paula Abdul and them beautiful Laker Girls came out on that floor. First time ever. Dancing girls! And they turnt it out.
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