In the premiere episode of “Winning Time” on HBO, Jerry West’s character is portrayed as livid at the idea of drafting Magic Johnson. This conflict is a significant source of conflict in the first two episodes, as the Lakers’ drafting of Earvin “Magic” Johnson is non-negotiable for Jerry Buss, as Johnson perfectly aligns with his vision.
In the series, Jerry West is unhappy with the owners’ decision to pursue Johnson and pick him as their first choice in the upcoming draft. He initially wanted to draft Sydney Moncrief because he didn’t think Magic Johnson would adapt well to the pace of the NBA. West went as far as trying convincing Jack Kent Cooke, the outgoing owner of the Lakers, not to draft Johnson. Magic was gracious when meeting West even though West didn’t want to draft Magic (he wanted Sidney Moncrief).
In Winning Time, Lakers head coach Jerry West (Jason Clarke) is convinced that the team shouldn’t draft Magic with its No. 1 pick, but should instead consider drafting Sidney Moncrief. Magic and his dad were excited about him joining a historic franchise like the Lakers, looking forward to what the future held. West’s character argues against drafting Magic Johnson at No. 1 in the 1979 NBA draft, with the real West’s lawyers claiming the same.
In conclusion, Jerry West’s character is portrayed as livid at the idea of drafting Magic Johnson, but his real-life experiences and preferences have led to debates about the Lakers’ decision to draft Magic Johnson.
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📹 Magic Johnson & Jerry Buss Meet | Winning Time | Max
Before the draft, Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) visits The Forum to meet with Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) to discuss his future with …
I have to say I’m really enjoying this series winning time and it’s one of the reasons that I’m here. I wanted to check the accuracy of the real press conference compared to the one on winning time and it’s pretty spot on. I have to say the characters are well played and John C Reilly, who plays Jerry Buss has done an amazing job, but so has everyone.
How the hell did they f**** cancel winning time? I don’t care if 80% of it didn’t happen!!! This show is so goddamn entertaining they have enough to go all the way into the mid-90s. What the f*** was Netflix thinking?????? Let me say it again what the hell was Netflix thinking?????????PS same goes for the actor who played Jerry West I don’t care if it was over-the-top from the real West punctuation mark he’s so goddamn entertaining he could have his own f**** spinoff!!!!!
The Jerry West preference for the Squid over Magic is overblown. Plus most people on here dont even realize how good King Sid was. The best 2 guard in the league until Jordan came along and gave Jordan fits when they actually did play each other. Excellent shooter and an equally great defender whose only peer defensively was Alvin Robertson at the time.
Magic always said he saw Dr. Buss as a second Father in his life. They had a very close bond from the beginning. From suggesting cheeseburgers after Magic was picky with the sand dabs to telling Mr. Johnson of his experience working at a mill in Wyoming, he knew how to keep the talent happy and how to relate to them as equals.
Love how Jerry broke that silence to relate with Magic’s dad, like ‘yea I made it, but Im not made from money’ a lot of, no matter the color, came from humble beginnings. Even when Magic gets called boy, you see his dad AND Bus turn like ‘nah nah nah you dont call a man boy’ the film does a good job with this.
Magic was way ahead of his time. I mean he was the original Lebron. A guy who was very very hyped up with the talent that you knew he was going to be great. I mean imagine winning an NCAA title and then going to the NBA and you know you are that good. The Lakers at that point were a playoff team making it to the conference semi finals, but lost out to the Super Sonics. Magic was that hyped up player that could back up everything he said and he got the team to rise up.
How ironic that Magic was fighting for $600k and no one taught him the value of stock options, thereby leading him to make the worst financial decisions of his life. He rejected an offer by Nike for 100k shares and $1 for every shoe sold. Nike sells approximately 780 million shoes a year now. He’d be making almost $1 billion every year just on shoe sales alone. I can’t imagine how it must be to think how rich he could have been had he just signed an agreement with Nike in 1979. It’s impossible for me to imagine what that kind of money must feel like.
This clip is just another example of how this BS series inaccurately portrays real life characters. I’m from D.C., and I vividly remember Jack Kent Cooke, because he owned he Redskins during the 80’s. He was an eccentric billionaire with a highly animated personality, and certainly not as conservative as he is depicted here. Moreover, I highly doubt that he would have ever been so blatantly bigoted to a black player as he is shown here to be with Magic. This series is garbage.