Get your basketball shoes and shoulder pads ready because Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is set to continue the legendary team’s story with a second season. Created by Max Borenstein (The Terror) and Jim Hecht (Ice Age: The Meltdown), the Adam McKay-produced series had a long and torturous development before finally premiering in March 2022. Once the anticipated show hit screens, fans of the 1980s Lakers saw the team’s story unfold in a surprisingly meta fashion, with many of the show’s characters breaking the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience. Throughout ten episodes, the first season of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty showcased how Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) became the team’s owner, how Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) became one of the team’s biggest stars, and how the Los Angeles Lakers became one of the sports’ biggest names during the 1980s.
The first season of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty was a massive success for HBO and the now-renamed streaming service Max, raking in solid ratings and positive reviews. That being said, HBO’s adaptation of the real-life story wasn’t without its critics. Two prominent subjects of the show, NBA legends Magic Johnson and Jerry West, publicly spoke out against their depictions in the series and decried the supposed biopic show as being largely fictitious. While romanticizing and changing certain historical events for the sake of constructing a more compelling narrative isn’t uncommon in biopic stories, Season 1 Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty does change enough for it to be an issue to some.
Regardless of the Emmy-nominated show’s controversies surrounding historical accuracy, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty was a big enough success for HBO that the series was picked up for a second season. A second season that is set to be dunking onto screens everywhere by the end of Summer 2023. To learn more about the upcoming sophomore season’s cast, trailer, release date, and more, here is everything we know so far about Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2.
When is Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 Coming Out?
The 1980s Los Angeles Lakers are set to be dribbling onto television screens everywhere when the first episode of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 launches on Sunday, August 6.
Where Can You Watch Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2?
Just as last season, Season 2 of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty will be available to watch on live television via the HBO TV channel and on streaming via the recently rebranded Max on the same day. The second season is expected to be seven episodes long, about three episodes shorter than the last. Following the Season 2 premiere on Sunday, August 6, one of the six following episodes will be premiering every following Sunday. The season finale is expected to air on Sunday, September 17.
Is There a Trailer for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2?
The debut trailer for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 premiered on June 12, 2023, and sets up the next chapter for Jerry Buss, Magic Johnson, and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers team and staff. Following an incredible inaugural season for Jerry Buss’s new management and team roster, the team is setting their sites on the ultimate prize – a championship win against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. As the historic rivalry heats up, the team and staff behind the Lakers will have to hustle like never before if they want to beat Red Auerbach (Michael Chiklis), Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small), and the Boston Celtics.
Who Stars in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2?
Most of the stellar cast from Season 1 of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty will return to their roles for Season 2. This includes John C. Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss, once again combining his comedic experience from stories like Step Brothers and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby as well as his dramatic work from Chicago and Boogie Nights. Also set to return is Quincy Isaiah as relative newcomer Magic Johnson, and though Johnson isn’t fond of the show, it’s hard to deny that Isaiah is perfectly cast in his breakout role as the NBA star.
Also set to return are Gabrielle Mary Hoffman (Field of Dreams) as Lakers executive Claire Rothman, Hadley Robinson (Little Women) as Jerry Buss’s daughter Jeanie Buss, Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) as NBA legend Jerry West, Adrien Brody (The French Dispatch) as Lakers head coach Pat Riley, Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) as Lakers assistant coach Paul Westhead, DeVaughn Nixon (Snowfall) as point guard Norm Nixon (who is DeVaughn Nixon’s real-life father), Solomon Hughes as team captain Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Tamera Tomakili (Blindspotting) as Magic’s future wife Cookie Johnson, Spencer Garrett (Bosch) as stadium announcer Chick Hearn, Michael Chiklis (The Shield) as Celtics general manager Red Auerbach, and Sean Patrick Small (Similar Odds) as star Celtic player Larry Bird.
What is Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 About?
Season 2 of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty takes place less than a year after the first season’s events when the newly managed Lakers team won a championship title in 1980. Many team members are grappling with issues, such as Jerry Buss’s strained relationship with his daughter and Magic Johnson’s sex addiction. The Lakers team and staff will need to put those issues to rest if they hope to take on their historic rivals, the Boston Celtics.
Who is Making Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2?
Adam McKay will once again be executive producing Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty for Season 2, having previously directed The Big Short, Vice, and Don’t Look Up. Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht are expected to continue writing for the series.
When Did Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 Film?
Production on Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 reportedly began on August 24, 2022, meaning the show will be airing less than a year since production began. A pretty quick turnaround for one of the year’s most anticipated shows.
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