Writer/director/producer Adam McKay can’t stop, won’t stop. With his apocalyptic satire “Don’t Look Up” crashing into the Oscars with a nod for Best Picture, and the financial family dramedy “Succession” on which he serves as an executive producer snapping up trophies at every awards show it enters, McKay is riding high. Plus, on Sunday, his newest series, “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” premiered on HBO. Created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, McKay is an executive producer on the series and directed the pilot episode.
“Winning Time” is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s,” focusing on the high-stakes wheeling and dealing in the late ‘70s to build the Lakers into a dominant NBA team. Newcomer Quincy Isaiah stars as a freshly drafted Magic Johnson, while John C. Reilly co-stars as the libertine new owner of the Lakers, Dr. Jerry Buss.
The snappy, sarcastic, self-aware tone and structure is classic McKay, and cinematographer Todd Banhazl brings an authentically grimy ‘70s grain to the look of the series, which is striving for something between fictionalized account, documentary recreation and oral storytelling.
Some of those quirks may turn viewers off, but there’s no denying the intrigue in this story of sports superstars whose legacies linger to this day. Plus, basketball is just so fun to watch, as Reilly’s Buss details in a lurid opening monologue. With just one episode available thus far, the series may inspire a hankering for more basketball content, especially of the "truth is stranger than fiction" variety.
The natural next step would be a watch (or rewatch) of the electrifying 2020 ESPN series “The Last Dance,” following the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-1998 season, as they go for their sixth NBA title in eight seasons. The doc also follows superstar Michael Jordan’s career, and gives an intimate behind-the-scenes look of high-stakes basketball, and all the personalities and feuds that simmered off and on the court. Catch “The Last Dance” streaming on Netflix.
No list of basketball movies would be complete without mentioning Steve James’ iconic 1994 film “Hoop Dreams,” often considered one of the best documentaries of all time. Shot over the course of five years, James followed two promising high school players from Chicago as they travel to play at an elite high school with the best basketball program. “Hoop Dreams” is currently streaming on HBO Max, Showtime, Criterion Channel and is available to rent on other platforms.
For a basketball doc that also has some added resonance to the tragic war unfolding between Russia and Ukraine, check out the 2012 doc, “The Other Dream Team,” about the miraculous 1992 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team, sponsored by The Grateful Dead. Having just achieved their independence in 1990, Lithuanian athletes could finally compete for their country, rather than for their oppressive occupier, the Soviet Union. At the 1992 Olympics, the Lithuanian team weren’t as flashy as the NBA stars on the USA’s Dream Team, but as scrappy underdogs with something to prove, they stole the spotlight in their distinctive tie-dye. Check out the film on Spectrum On Demand, or rent it for $4.99 on Amazon or YouTube.
Finally, while Jordan held the “Greatest of All Time” title for a long time, a young upstart from Ohio by the name of Lebron James has now capably taken up the challenge. Check out his high school basketball beginnings in the 2008 doc “More than a Game,” streaming on Tubi and Pluto and available for rent on all digital platforms.
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