Magic Johnson is not surprised the unauthorized television series on the Los Angeles Lakers was canceled since he and other franchise alums never supported it.
The season two finale of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” was the last fans will get from the show since it was canceled. Its end was no shocker to one Laker great who believes the show was based more on fiction than fact.
“Well, I never watched it because nobody in this world can tell the Lakers story [like it needed to be told]. The Showtime story? Nobody! Dr. Buss was way ahead of his time as an owner. Our team? Unbelievable! The Laker girls with Paula Abdul? Unbelievable! Nobody can tell that story,” Johnson said at the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS on Thursday, September, 28.
“So, none of us watched it because it was fictional. You just can’t tell that story. But, hey, that’s on them.”
Johnson has been a key player of the Lakers franchise since leading the team from 1979 – 1996. Actor Quincy Isaiah portrayed Johnson in the series based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers, Winning Time.”
Chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, the series highlighted one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties in history. While Johnson didn’t support the show, he still has a story to tell that he’ll be ready to share one day, just not on an unauthorized series.
“If I do, I got two of the biggest friends in the business, [Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson],” Johnson said alongside Jackson. “So, if I ever do it, it would be with one of my friends because they already know me. We’ll see.”
Some of Johnson’s story was already the subject of a four-part Apple TV+ documentary series “They Call Me Magic”.
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