Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic teams in the sporting industry of North America. They have won the NBA a record 17 times. And hold the record with Boston Celtics. But the great legacy of the franchise in the sport is not easy to explain in words. Currently, there is an HBO series, Winning Time, that showcases the beginning of The Showtime Lakers. Moreover, the impact of The Last Dance, based on the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan’s story, is immense.
It played a big role in motivating the makers of the Winning Time series on HBO. Moreover, they released two seasons of the show. However, Pearlman expressed some imperfections about the show on X (historically, Twitter). Apparently, the show is not garnering as much viewership as expected. Regarding this, the author of the book wrote on social media to spread the word.
HBO Show Winning Time Hangs In Balance; Looking To Spread It Via Word Of Mouth To Increase Viewership
Now, the future of the show hangs in the balance. It will depend on word of mouth to increase the number of viewers. The series tells the story of the Lakers and its journey from being an unsuccessful franchise to the Showtime Kings of the 1980s. It deals with several sensitive subjects, like how Jeanie Buss took ownership of her father and her family disputes and so on. Moreover, the playing style of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and coach Pat Riley that became known as Showtime Lakers is also the crux of the story, along with the Magic-Bird rivalry.
I'm telling you — the future of "Winning Time" hangs in the balance. We need viewers. The strikes are crippling. Please help spread the word. Season 2 is amazing. But … HBO is big on #s. #winningtime pic.twitter.com/A8OTEi0Sog
— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) August 16, 2023
Initially, it was a difficult journey for Pearlman to start the making of the series. The HBO network was not always extravagant about the budget and stuff. Moreover, the show is indeed Pearlman’s “baby.” Later in 2022, HBO decided to make a series on the beginning of the Lakers dynasty. Jeff Pearlman wrote a book Showtime (2014), on the beginning of the Lakers dynasty. This book inspired the makers of the series and HBO to start working on it.
The Greatness Of The Showtime Lakers
The Lakers had two great decades of winning multiple championships – the 1980s and 2000s that helped the formation of the Lakers dynasty. In the beginning, the Lakers franchise was not part of Los Angeles. It had its root in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Moreover, the Lakers owned the team called Minneapolis Lakers in NBL back in 1947. Later in 1948, it joined the NBA. However, in 1960, the franchise moved to Los Angeles and formed the LA Lakers. The team saw superstars of different eras lead them to glory. For instance, in the 1960s, there was Jerry West.
Later, Wilt Chamberlain led the LA side brilliantly. What happened in the 80s is part of a great history of American sports. Even though it started in the early 60s, the franchise became a dynasty in the league in the 1980s. It was a great team filled with superstars like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and so on. Later in the early 21st century, the arrival of Phil Jackson from the Chicago Bulls helped the Lakers dominate the 2000s decade. It was the era of the great duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. After all these eras of domination, the franchise has a global impact.