"Lot of it was fabricated": Lakers legend calls out 'Winning Time' for inaccuracies following cancellation after 2 seasons
News of HBO's "Winning Time" canceled after two seasons was pretty much a good riddance for former Los Angeles Lakers star Byron Scott. He joins the list of former Laker greats who expressed their displeasure about the depiction of the 80s "Showtime Lakers."
The sports drama was shelved following a dip in ratings after its season finale ended last Sunday. Speaking to TMZ, Scott was not too worried about how it panned out for the show.
"Nah, I'm good. I wasn't a big fan of the show because I know a lot of it was fabricated in certain ways just to make it more interesting for the fans which is cool, that's TV. That's Hollywood. That's what they do," he said.
Scott, who won three NBA championships with the Purple and Gold, added that he and his former teammates would never discuss the show and it was usually their wives who would share their two cents about it. Previously, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy had also lashed out against the show.
As for Scott, it was as unimpressive as it could get and he admitted he didn't care much at all.
Why did HBO cancel 'Winning Time' after two seasons?
'Winning Time' may have been a hit in its initial run with fans last year, but the ratings took a nosedive this time around, news of which was confirmed by an executive from the TV network.
Adding to this was the string of controversies surrounding the show for its factual inaccuracies and depiction of the players. This saw ample flak from stars and coaches alike. The ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike played its part in the show's cancellation as well.
According to Screenrant, the show could potentially return for season 3 with a new NBA dynasty as the subject, such as the Chicago Bulls, who were a force in the 1990s. But with 'The Last Dance' pretty much covering all bases, it's interesting to see if the show focuses on other franchises.
"Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" was co-created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, and was inspired by Jeff Pearlman's book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s."
For those who haven't caught the latest season of the HBO show, 'Winning Time' is available for streaming on HBO Max. Season 2 comprises seven episodes compared to season 1's 10 episodes.