The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic and glamorous sports franchise in the whole world, and now they’re getting a Hulu series.
The Lakers are considered the greatest NBA franchise of all time due to their rich history of stars, hall of famers, and of course multiple Championships. They originally came from Minneapolis and won Five Championships during their time there before moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s and becoming the iconic franchise we know today.
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But the Lakers became a global phenomenon when the late Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team in the late 70s, and they eventually won 10 Championships during his tenure as owner. His daughter Jeanie Buss is the current owner and, like her father, helped the Lakers win a title in 2020. The Lakers are known for their stars, including: George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Jamaal Wilkes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, Anthony Davis, Lebron James, and of course the late great and considered greatest Laker Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers also have a rich history winning which includes 19th Conference Titles, 33 Division Titles, the most wins in NBA History and of course seventeen NBA World Championships. Now fans and audiences will finally have a full detailed docuseries focusing on the Purple and Gold. It’s reported that docuseries will be similar to the same format as Michael Jordan’s award winning documentary “The Last Dance”.
Hulu Takes On The Lakers
Hulu has announced that a nine episode documentary series focusing on the Lakers has been greenlit. The docuseries will focus on history of the Lakers and will especially delve during Buss’s early and historic ownership of the team. So we can expect the documentary series focusing on multiple Lakers Championship eras. Such examples include the 80s Showtime Era, the Shaq and Kobe 3peat of the early 2000s, Bryant’s back to back championships with Gasol in 2009 and 2010, and recently the 2020 Championship led James and Davis.
Hulu described that the “documentary will details the past four decades of the Lakers, and contains colorful and emotional new interviews from over 35 people within the organization, including the Buss family, legendary coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, and NBA Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and team captain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among numerous other current and former players. Also featured are interviews with a range of high-profile fans and a treasure trove of archival footage featuring never-before-seen interviews with the Lakers late owner, Jerry Buss.”
Hulu then talked about on what fans could expect from the documentary series. Hulu stated that “Starting from his acquisition of the team in 1979, the docuseries captures Jerry Buss’ remarkable journey to build, sustain and pass on a family-run sports empire. The project will offer a fresh and revealing look inside the legendary “Showtime” era that saw the team win five NBA titles and turned the Forum into Hollywood’s hottest ticket throughout the 1980s.
The series also details the high-stakes drama off the court and incredible successes of the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-led championship teams, as well as the cultural impact of the Lakers franchise and rebirth of the team, culminating with the 2020 NBA championship led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. At the heart is a story about sports, business and, most of all, family – and how those competing forces must be harnessed to achieve greatness”.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss also expressed her excitement of the docuseries. Buss explained that “When Dr. Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, he sat alone at center court of the Forum and thought of all the possibilities. But even in his wildest dreams, my father could not have imagined what the next decades would bring for our organization, our league and our city of Los Angeles. I am thrilled that the true story of the Lakers will finally be shared with the world – and that we are in such capable hands with Hulu and Antoine, a director whose storytelling I’ve admired for years,”. It’s great to know that these series will pay tribute to her father’s legacy and his love for the Lakers.
This documentary series however will not be the only related media project related to the Lakers. It has been announced that a dramatized series is also in the works that will focus on the 80s Showtime Lakers. The untitled Lakers drama series will be on HBO and will star John C’ Reilly, Jason Clarke, Quincy Isaiah, and Solomon Hughes. But of course the docuseries is what everyone and fans will be excited about for now. The docuseries will be directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Fuqua explained his excitement for the project. He also explained that ” We are proud to bring this docuseries to the world and shed light on the legendary history of the Lakers”. Fuqua then added “This expansive look into one of the greatest sports franchises of all time is a project we all feel deeply passionate about.”. It’s good to say that much love and dedication will be brought into this project.
Vice President of Hulu Original Documentaries Belisa Balaban also expressed her excitement in doing this historic project. Balaban explained:
“The Los Angeles Lakers are one of sports’ most illustrious franchises. Theirs is a history of epic highs and tragic lows, and generations of legendary players and teams who have made a profound impact, not just on the sports world, but on the culture.
We are honored to join Jeanie, Antoine and the whole creative team to bring Hulu viewers the very real inside look at the remarkable story of the rise and fall, and rise again of the Lakers.”
By this statement we can expect also clips and stories that delve during the team’s multiple seasons of struggle. But of course their rise back to prominence.
The series will be directed by Antoine Fuqua and also be produced by him. Current Lakers owner Jeanie Buss will also serve as a producer. Other Executive Producers working on the series is Kevin Mann, Michael Mann, Brandon Bragg, Simon Horsman, and Los Angeles Media Fund’s Jeffrey Soros. The Los Angeles Lakers docuseries is scheduled to premiere next year 2022.
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Source: Slashfilm.com
