"It is a lot closer to truth": LeBron James' former teammates agree 'Winning Time' captures essence of the Showtime Lakers

LeBron James' former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye gave their take on the popular HBO television series Winning Time.

On the Road Trippin', co-host Allie Clifton asked Jefferson and Frye if Winning Time is accurate as part of their segment Truth or Trash. Both former NBA players said that the show told the truth about the time period regarding the LA Lakers.

"It is a lot closer to truth," Jefferson said. "Luke (Walton), who was a Laker for a decade, there was a lot more truth. There's some embellishment in every story. I'm not saying that it's autobiographical, what I'm saying is it was a very interesting time and the sh*t that was going. We would hear stories about it."

"It was on par," Frye added. "It was on par with what everyone else doing. It's on par with what the world was like."

Winning Time portrayed the essence of the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s. It's based on a true story, but not everything was told to a tee. However, the drug use and the sex during the decade were not surprising.

The backstage politics within the Lakers were also portrayed, and it didn't sit well with the legendary Jerry West. "The Logo" threatened to file a lawsuit against HBO and the producers of Winning Time for portraying him "inaccurately."

"The series made us all look like cartoon characters," West told the Los Angeles Times last year. "They belittled something good. If I have to, I will take this all the way to the Supreme Court."

---

'Winning Time' currently in its second season

HBO approved the second season of the TV series about the Showtime Lakers.

Season 1 of Winning Time received a lot of praise from critics, fans and viewers. The reception was so good that HBO ordered a second season, and it premiered earlier this month to critical acclaim. The first season had 10 episodes, while Season 2 will have seven.

Despite the praise for the show, Jerry West was not the only LA Lakers legend who was not happy with it. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were very critical of how they were portrayed and the historical inaccuracies of what happened with the franchise.

Spencer Haywood, whose drug use was shown, was very happy with his portrayal and called it a "blessing."

"From episode 5 and on, I was sick," Haywood told the Seattle Times. "I was crying. I couldn't control my emotions, but it turned out to be a blessing. People were like, 'I know you were crazy on that Lakers show, but let me look at your true story.'"

​