Magic Johnson Says He’s “Not Looking Forward to” HBO’s Lakers Series

The NBA legend doesn't sound too thrilled about Adam McKay's "Winning Time" series

Magic Johnson on stage during the 29th Annual Achilles Gala Honoring president and CEO of Cinga David Cordani with "Volunteer of the Year Award" on November 20, 2019 in New York City.
Magic Johnson on stage during the 29th Annual Achilles Gala Honoring president and CEO of Cinga David Cordani with "Volunteer of the Year Award" on November 20, 2019 in New York City.
Getty Images

When ESPN’s Chicago Bulls docuseries The Last Dance debuted last year, it was appointment television for viewers, but many of the non-Michael Jordan players involved — like Scottie Pippen — were upset with the way they were depicted. Adam McKay’s highly anticipated HBO series Winning Time, about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, is of course not a documentary, but it sounds as though a similar situation could be brewing with at least one of the stars depicted on the show.

TMZ recently caught up with Lakers legend Magic Johnson and asked him his thoughts about the new series, and Johnson didn’t mince words, telling the outlet he’s “not looking forward” to checking out Winning Time.

“No, we got different shows coming out,” he said. “I got one, then you got Jeanie Buss got one on Showtime coming out. Those are the ones I’m looking forward to.”

Johnson will be portrayed by actor Quincy Isaiah on the show, which also stars John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss, Sally Field as Jessie Buss, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley and Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty is slated to premiere on HBO in March, but it sounds as though Johnson won’t be tuning in.

“I’m not looking forward to it,” he told TMZ. “I’m going to leave it at that.”

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