The L.A. Lakers are the team credited as game-changing for professional basketball, boosting the ball game from sport to spectacle. The show Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty takes us into the backstory of this iconic team.

With the return of all-things ‘80s, thanks to the wildfire popularity of ‘80s-set series like Stranger Things, GLOW, Red Oaks, and The Goldbergs, it was a no-brainer that the current craze for time-travel TV would bring us a series based on basketball’s golden age with the team that literally put the Magic into professional basketball — in the form of basketball legend, Magic Johnson. With Season 1 set at the cusp of the ‘80s in 1979, the series highlights how the game went from fringe to phenomenon, even for fans who didn’t know a jump shot from a slam dunk.

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Created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, and featuring an all-star cast, you can get into the game and the glitter by streaming all 10 episodes of the first season on HBO Max.

Watch Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on HBO Max

How to Watch Winning Time

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty dramatizes the professional and personal lives of the players and managers of the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1980s, a time period that took the team from a niche audience to mainstream entertainment. Though navigating storylines filled with characterizations of real people — many of whom are still alive and not necessarily happy with their portrayals — naturally invites controversy, no one can say the story of the rise of the L.A. Lakers doesn’t make for riveting television, and the show’s all-star cast pulls it off with aplomb. With Quincy Isaiah cleverly cast as Magic Johnson, and Solomon Hughs as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the series brings these ‘80s legends back to brilliant life.

Winning Time also features Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Adrien Brody as Armani-suited Pat Riley, Sean Patrick Small as Larry Bird, and the talented Sally Field as Jessie Buss.

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In what quickly became the most captivating sports program in America, the 1980s’ Lakers boasted a star-filled roster, and sidelines of celebrities and A-listers, bringing glitter and glam to what had once been a simple sports show. The Lakers became a showtime superpower, where winning championships wasn’t the only point of the program — although their talented players and ‘run-and-gun playing style won them 5 NBA championships between 1980 and 1991.

Where to Watch Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

If you want to belatedly bask in the glow of the early days of the Lakers Dynasty, you can stream the entire 10-episode first season right now with an HBO Max subscription. Plus, season two is slated for release in March 2023, and the word is that we’ll be seeing much more of fan-favorite Johnny Buss with his portrayer, Thomas Mann, moved from guest star to series regular. There are also whispers of greater controversy to come with upcoming storylines, so stayed tuned to the team that changed America.

Watch Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on HBO Max