The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the NBA in the 1980s on the back of the supremely talented Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, spearheading an intense rivalry with the Boston Celtics. A five-part documentary series featuring the “Showtime” era of the Lake Show with Pat Riley at the coaching helm is currently in development.
Deadline reports:
The Los Angeles Media Fund and the Lakers are teaming up with Haven Entertainment to produce a five-episode docu-series focusing on the ’80s Showtime era of the storied basketball team. That was the period when Pat Riley coached the run and gun style distinguished by Magic Johnson’s passing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring and shot blocking, with Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and Michael Cooper backing them up. Courtside, celebs like Jack Nicholson turned The Forum into the town’s hottest ticket and the team won five NBA titles and waged an unbelievable rivalry with Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. The series will be directed by Kristopher Belman (More Than A Game) and financed by Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman’s Los Angeles Media Fund.
Before the Michael Jordan and LeBron James era, the Lakers and Celtics were the premier teams at the time ahead of the Detroit Pistons breaking out into a back-to-back championship run. This occurred, of course, before the Chicago Bulls’ dominance in the NBA throughout the early 1990s.
The series has yet to announce an air date.
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