HBO has officially cancelled Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty after only two seasons.
The news was confirmed just moments after the season two finale aired, with series co-creator Max Borenstein verifying the reports on X. “Not the ending that we had in mind. But nothing but gratitude and love,” he wrote on the platform. Meanwhile, director Salli Richardson took to Instagram to share a heartfelt thank you, “When you give it everything you’ve got, you can have no regrets. I hope you enjoy the last episode of @winningtimehbo I am sure I will do many more hours of TV and hopefully many features in my future, but I can say that at this moment in time I am most proud of the work we did on this masterful show.”
Richardson publicly stated her desire for at least a third season so viewers can at least see the Los Angeles Lakers win against the Boston Celtics. “We don’t want to end with the Celtics winning. That’s awful,” she said to THR. “I think people have realized this season that if you just watch the show instead of judging the show without seeing it, it’s a great show. It’s a well-written show with unbelievable performances. And you don’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy it. I think that what Jeff [Pearlman] was trying to say is that he just hopes that people find this little gem that’s out there, because it really is a great show and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The series was based on Pearlman’s 2014 book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s and was able to cover the period of Jerry Buss’ first year as the owner, Magic Johnson’s rookie year and the four years following.
Elsewhere in entertainment, Donald Glover’s Lando project will now be a film instead of a series.
