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LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has lambasted HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" series for its 'inaccurate' portrayal of the Lakers dynasty.
The Lakers are one of the two most decorated NBA franchises in history, alongside the Boston Celtics. The Lakers' most successful period was in the 1980s, where they won five NBA championships - 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988.
Led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the "Showtime Lakers" were one of the most exciting and entertaining teams in NBA history. They were the epitome of the quintessential Hollywood, prompting HBO to produce a television show based on that legendary team.
The show has been praised by critics, but Lakers legends like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are not enthused. In his Substack piece, Abdul-Jabbar blasted ths how for being boring and for inaccurately portraying himself, Magic, Jerry West and the late Dr. Jerry Buss.
"There is only one immutable sin in writing: Don't Be Boring! Winning Time commits that sin over and over," Abdul-Jabbar wrote.
He added:
"Each character is reduced to a single bold trait as if the writers were afraid anything more complex would tax the viewers’ comprehension. Jerry Buss is Egomaniac Entrepreneur; Jerry West is Crazed Coach; Magic Johnson is Sexual Simpleton; I’m Pompous Prick. They are caricatures, not characters."
"Winning Time" is based on the book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s." One of the show's executive producers is Adam McKay, while its creators are Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht.
The show is only a drama based on real-life events. The characters have likely been exaggerated to make it interesting. Nevertheless, it's understandable why all the aforementioned Lakers legends are unhappy about their potrayal in "Winning Time."
LA Lakers legend Jerry West demands apology and retraction of "Winning Time" from HBO
Jerry West spent 14 seasons as a player with the LA Lakers, winning one NBA championship. He then became the team's coach from 1976 to 1979 before heading into the front office as the general manager. West built the "Showtime" Lakers, as well as the duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Now, West is demanding an apology and retraction from HBO for his portrayal in "Winning Time." The Hall of Fame guard issued a statement through his lawyer Skip Miller. His legal team gave HBO and Adam McKay two weeks to apologize and respond. The statement reads:
"The portrayal of NBA icon and LA Lakers legend Jerry West in 'Winning Time' is fiction pretending to be fact — a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family."
The 83-year-old Lakers legend has not been in good terms with the franchise since he signed with the LA Clippers in 2017. In an interview with The Athletic in February, West said that he regrets playing for the Lakers, which infuriated the LA Lakers faithful.
Guess the Lakers players!
