BACKGRID
Decades after they won their first ring, the Showtime Lakers turnt up at a championship parade in Los Angeles — and everyone from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Magic Johnson was in attendance — sorta.
John C. Reilly and Jason Segel are starring in an upcoming HBO drama series showcasing the 1980s Showtime Lakers … and we have video of the actors shooting a scene in L.A.
Reilly is playing team owner Jerry Buss and Segel, assistant coach Paul Westhead. In the scene, the team — wearing “LOS ANGELES LAKERS WORLD CHAMPIONS 1980” t-shirts — celebrate with the Walter A. Brown trophy (now the Larry O’Brien trophy, since 1984).
Also in the scene is actor Solomon Hughes … who’s playing Kareem. Actor Quincy Isaiah, who’s from Magic’s home state of Michigan, is portraying the legendary point guard.
The Showtime Lakers — led by Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar — were basically unstoppable … winning 5 championships in the 1980s. (’80, ’82, ’85, ’87, ’88).
And, their impact wasn’t just felt on the court … when Buss bought the team in 1979, he made Lakers games the place to be — and be seen.
He introduced the Lakers Girls and live music at The Forum … and the crowds often featured A-list celebs sitting courtside.
The series — inspired by Jeff Pearlman‘s book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s — will also feature Adrien Brody (Pat Riley), Michael Chiklis (Red Auerbach) and Sally Field (Jessie Buss).
HBO has not yet announced when the show will drop.