HBO shoots for Lakers drama

US premium cablenet HBO has ordered a new drama series chronicling the life of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Francesca Orsi

The as-yet-untitled drama series is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, and follows the professional and personal lives of the team and its players.

The project is produced by Hyperobject Industries, with Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Jason Shuman, Scott Stephens and Rodney Barnes executive producing alongside Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht who are co-writing the series.

Francesca Orsi, executive VP of HBO programming, said: “Alongside Adam McKay and Max Borenstein, HBO couldn’t be more thrilled to examine one of professional sports’ most beloved empires. Across 1980s Los Angeles, we’ll experience the exhilarating ride of a team that dominated a decade of basketball and watch them not only achieve iconic status but transform the sport in every way.”