At the top of March, “Winning Time,” HBO’s series about the Showtime era of the Lakers, officially hit the streaming service for basketball fans to indulge in. “Winning Time” pays homage to one of the most revered dynasties in sports history. The new drama is all about the Lakers’ golden age and is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers, while being executive produced by Adam McKay.
However, in his new cover story interview with Variety, Magic Johnson himself said he has no interest in checking out the show, which is based in the same era of his superstardom. According to the article, the former NBA player is “baffled” that neither HBO nor the show’s creative executives “sought participation from him or his teammates.”
“First of all, you can’t do a story about the Lakers without the Lakers,” says Magic Johnson in the cover story. “The real Lakers. You gotta have the guys. There’s no way to duplicate Showtime. I don’t care who you get.”
“So let’s go through it like this. Showtime started on the court — just unbelievable,” Johnson asserts. “We changed basketball!”
He then went on to reminisce about the golden days and the trendsetting ways of those infamous Laker games back then. “Every time out, Paula Abdul and them beautiful Laker Girls came out on that floor,” he says. “First time ever. Dancing girls! And they turnt it out. All the latest music, and all the latest dances. You can’t duplicate that. We entertain you. Show you moves that you’ve only seen in the nightclub. Then you move up to the Forum Club.”
In related news, Magic Johnson is set to reveal a brand new four-part docuseries “They Call Me Magic,” which premieres on Apple TV Plus on April 22. Judging by his sentiments today, “They Call Me Magic” will more accurately depict his journey.