“Watched half the first episode, ‘Winning Time’ is ridiculous! I don’t want to talk about it!!”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson’s distaste for the HBO Original series might lead to its failure

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson are preferring not to watch the HBO Original drama series “Winning Time” which is based on their “Showtime Lakers”.

The much talked about HBO’s “Winning Time” is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book. The 10-episode first season stars John C. Reilly as former Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, with newcomer Quincy Isaiah playing Earvin “Magic” Johnson and former Harlem Globetrotter Solomon Hughes portraying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Johnson recently explained to TMZ Sports that he was “not looking forward” to the premiere of the HBO drama series and is instead focusing on his own upcoming four-part Apple TV+ docuseries, “They Call Me Magic.”

Also read: “Michael Jordan used to be called Magic Mike”: When the Bulls legend idolized Magic Johnson and mimicked everything the Showtime Lakers star did

Johnson said, “I’m not gonna watch. Now, if the Lakers or myself or some Lakers have something to do with it, then I would, but it’s just, you can’t copy that, it’s just too much.”

His teammate Abdul-Jabbar though did set out to watch it but couldn’t even complete the very first episode.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar disgusted by Winning Time just after watching half of the first episode

Kareem, the 5x NBA champ with Magic and the Lakers believes those who actually lived through it can actually best tell the story of the Showtime Lakers. But he still ended up giving the series a shot, and successfully wasted his precious time.

“I watched half the first episode and it’s ridiculous. I don’t want to talk about it.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on HBOs Winning Time

— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) April 4, 2022

“Winning Time” creator Adam McKay assured, “We’re coming at this with good intentions, but these guys don’t know that. They’re used to a certain degree of media that’s always going after them, and if I could talk to them, I’d say, ‘No, no, don’t worry, we’re going to paint the whole picture,’ but I get it, they don’t know me or [showrunner] Max Borenstein, and it’s their right to really not like it.”

With the Showtime Lakers’ biggest stars publicly avoiding and critiquing the series, there are pretty low chances of it becoming a success. Meanwhile, both Kareem and Magic are participating in a “Lakers-sanctioned” Hulu docuseries that is going to release in late 2022.

Also read: “Some of the things LeBron James has said and done are really beneath him”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls out Lakers MVP’s hypocrisy

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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