The second episode of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty will premiere on HBO and Max on Sunday, and Magic Johnson is back. PopCulture.com can premiere an exclusive clip of the upcoming episode! In it, Magic speaks to reporters about his return to the lineup after suffering a knee injury early in the 1980-81 season. He’s is happy to be back, but the players aren’t as excited because they were playing well without him and they didn’t like the attention he was receiving from the media.
Episode 2 of the second season of Winning Time is titled “The Magic is Back.” Along with Magic returning, the episode also includes Pat Riley and Jerry West pushing for a trade while Paul Westhead fights for his team. Meanwhile, Jeanie Buss fights with her brothers while Jerry Buss looks to reunite with an old flame.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Season 2 of Winning Time takes a look at the Lakers from 1980 to 1984. During that period, the Lakers reached the NBA Finals three times and won one title. The most notable Finals appearance was when the Lakers took on the Boston Celtics in 1984, and the Celtics won 4-3. It was the first time the Lakers and Celtics met in the Finals since Johnson and Larry Bird entered the NBA.
PopCulture.com recently spoke to Winning Time showrunner Max Borenstein, who explained how Season 2 is bigger and better than the first season. “The thing that excites us about this season is it’s where the stakes really get raised. With victory, they get all the challenges of success, celebrity, and infighting, and personal challenges on and off the floor, and at the same time, what they’re seeking is exponentially harder than just winning one,” he said. “It’s to rise to that level of being a dynasty, of being legendary. To do that, the Lakers have to face their rivals, the Celtics, and this is the season where that first clash will happen.”
Winning Time stars John C. Reilly, Quincy Isaiah, Adrien Brody, Jason Clarke, Gaby Hoffmann, Jason Segel, Hadley Robinson, DeVaughn Nixon, Solomon Hughes, Tamera Tomakili, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Spencer Garrett, Molly Gordon, Joey Brooks, Delante Desouza, Jimel Atkins, Austin Aaron, McCabe Slye, Thomas Mann, Gillian Jacobs, with Michael Chiklis and Rob Morgan. New episodes air every Sunday on HBO and Max at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
