HBO brings the Magic with first trailer for Showtime-era Lakers series

Lace up your sneakers: The first look at Adam McKay's '80s-set HBO series about the glitz and glamour of the Showtime Lakers has arrived.

A teaser trailer released Thursday offers a glimpse of what's to come in the highly anticipated drama, newly titled Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. It's described as "a fast-break series chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports' most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court."

Much of the trailer focuses on John C. Rielly's Jerry Buss, who sets the tone for the series with a voice-over that tells the world, "There are two things in this world that make me believe in God: sex and basketball." The trailer goes on to show Buss building out the team that would make history, including the draft of an iconic Lakers player: Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Quincy Isaiah).

Based on Jeff Pearlman's book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, the show is executive-produced by Max Borenstein, who also serves as showrunner and co-writer. McKay directed the pilot and is also an EP.

Last month, it was revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that McKay's casting of Reilly in the pivotal role was the nail in the coffin for McKay's longtime partnership with Will Ferrell; the two announced in 2019 that they were ending their professional relationship. Ferrell had made no secret that he wanted to secure the role, but as it turned out, McKay never returned the favor.

"The truth is, the way the show was always going to be done, it's hyperrealistic," he told Vanity Fair. "And Ferrell just doesn't look like Jerry Buss, and he's not that vibe of a Jerry Buss. And there were some people involved who were like, 'We love Ferrell, he's a genius, but we can't see him doing it.' It was a bit of a hard discussion."

Alongside Reilly and Isaiah, the stacked cast of Winning Time — which the trailer highlights in a fun montage — includes Quincy Isaiah, Jason Clarke, Adrien Brody, Gaby Hoffmann, Tracy Letts, Jason Segel, Julianne Nicholson, Hadley Robinson, Dr. Solomon Hughes, Tamera Tomakili, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Joey Brooks, Sarah Ramos, Spencer Garrett, Molly Gordon, DeVaughn Nixon, Delante Desouza, Jimel Atkins, Austin Aaron, Jon Young, Rob Morgan, and Sally Field.

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty will premiere on HBO in March 2022 with 10 episodes and will also be available to stream via HBO Max. Watch the trailer above.

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