A scene from the second season of HBO’s “Winning Time”
Warrick Page/HBO
Winning time no longer means winning.
HBO canceled the series – full title Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty – after two seasons. The news was a surprise and came just moments after the network aired the season two finale on Sunday night.
Co-creator Max Borenstein confirmed the news on X (formerly Twitter): “Not the ending we imagined. But nothing but gratitude and love.”
And director Salli Richardson posted on Instagram: “If you give it your all, you can’t regret it. I hope you enjoy the latest episode of @WINNINGTIMEHBO. I’m sure I’ll be doing many more hours on television and hopefully many features in the future, but I can say that at this moment I’m most proud of the work we’ve done on this masterful show.”
In an interview with THR at the end of August, Richardson expressed his hopes for a third season given the outcome of the finale. “Of course you see how the season ends. That’s why we’d be happy to have at least one more season for the Lakers to win against the Celtics, even if we can do that for years to come. We don’t want to end with a Celtics win. This is terrible,” she told THR. “I think people realized this season that it’s a great show if you just watch the show instead of judging it without having seen it. It’s a well-written show with incredible performances. And you don’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy it. I think what Jeff was trying to say is that he just hopes that people find this little gem that’s out there because it really is a great show and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The show, which debuted in March 2022, focuses on the Los Angeles Lakers NBA team and their rise in the early 1980s. The first season focused on Jerry Buss’ first year as team owner and Magic Johnson’s rookie year of 1979-80. The second season takes place in the following four-year period.
The show was created by Borenstein and Jim Hecht based on the book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s by Jeff Pearlman.
When the series premiered, it was met with criticism from the Lakers as well as former Lakers coach and general manager Jerry West, portrayed in the series by Jason Clarke. At the time, West sent a legal letter to Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO and series producer Adam McKay demanding a retraction, an apology and unspecified damages for the “false and defamatory portrayal.” West argued through his lawyer that those who saw his performance in “Winning Time” now believe he is an “out-of-control, drunken rage addict.”
In response, HBO told that the network “has a long history of producing compelling content based on actual facts and events, sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.” Winning Time is not, nor was it intended to be, a documentary presented in such a way. However, the series and its depictions are based on extensive factual research and authoritative sources, and HBO stands firmly behind our talented creators and cast in bringing to the screen a dramatization of this epic chapter in basketball history.”
Former Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson also had objections to the series. The former called it a “boring” show with “crude stick figure depictions that resemble real people.”
For his part, Johnson said, “You can’t do a story about the Lakers without the Lakers.” The real Lakers. You have to have the boys.”