HBO
- HBO’s new series Winning Time hasn’t been very popular with the real-life people it’s portraying.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Jerry West have all spoken out about the series.
- HBO has since responded to the criticism, stating that the series is not a “documentary.”
HBO has released an official statement in regards to the criticism of their new series Winning Time, which has been publically criticized by former Los Angeles Lakers legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Jonhson, and Jerry West.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO stressed that the series is “not a documentary” and has not “been presented as such.”
HBO’s comments come as former Laker Jerry West, who has been vocal about his criticisms of the series, said he’s willing to take his issues with the series “all the way to the Supreme Court.” West certainly hasn’t been alone in his distaste for the show, as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have also expressed similar sentiments.
“The series made us all look like cartoon characters. They belittled something good. If I have to, I will take this all the way to the Supreme Court,” West told the Los Angeles Times.
HBO responds to criticism of their Lakers series Winning Time
In response, HBO released a statement to THR that Winning Time, which has already been renewed for a second season, is “fictionalized in part for dramatic purposes.”
“HBO has a long history of producing compelling content drawn from actual facts and events that are fictionalized in part for dramatic purposes,” the network says.
“Winning Time is not a documentary and has not been presented as such. However, the series and its depictions are based on extensive factual research and reliable sourcing, and HBO stands resolutely behind our talented creators and cast who have brought a dramatization of this epic chapter in basketball history to the screen.”
RELATED: Jerry West Doubles Down On ‘Winning Time’ Legal Threats With Bold Claim Of Supreme Court Action
Executive produced by Don’t Look Up and Anchorman director Adam McKay, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty — which is based o Jeff Pearlman’s book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers, — stars John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Jason Segel as Paul Westhead, Julianne Nicholson as Cranny McKinney, Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and more.
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