HBO's Winning Time dramatizes one of the greatest eras in NBA history and the real-life figures of the show have built their own impressive filmographies. These stars have popped in many on-screen roles, taking the opportunities given to them through basketball and capitalizing on them.
Multiple Lakers players, executives, and coaches have had Hall of Fame careers over this era and a handful of them capitalized on their celebrity status and made plenty of TV and film appearances throughout the years. Even other legendary NBA figures featured in Winning Time who rivaled the Lakers have gotten acting credits under their belt, showcasing how a lot of these figures transcended basketball.
Magic Johnson: The Simpsons
As many fans know, Magic Johnson was not only the face of the Lakers but was integral in keeping the NBA from going under during the 1980s. Portrayed by Quincy Isaiah and the star of Winning Time, he's argued as the greatest point guard to ever live. His off-the-court personality and charisma lent themselves nicely to other avenues, including his appearance on The Simpsons episode "Homer Defined."
As he voices the animated version of himself, he calls to congratulate Homer after he avoided a nuclear accident. Though it's a rather short appearance, it's one of the highlights of the episode and showcases that same personality that fans have gotten to know from him.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Airplane!
Out of everyone during the Showtime Lakers era, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has probably had the most appearances in films and television. As viewers have seen in Solomon Hughes' portrayal of him on Winning Time, he's always had a calm and reserved nature about him but it hasn't stopped him from building a solid filmography. His role in Airplane! is arguably his most famous and funniest to date, which was even recreated in the premiere of Winning Time.
In Airplane!, Kareem plays a pilot named Roger Murdock but is revealed to be himself in disguise once a kid comes to the front of the plane and recognizes him from playing for the Lakers. It's hilarious in that there's no explanation as to why Kareem's character was pretending to be a pilot in the first place and his eventual outburst on how hard he works as a player ties it all together.
Norm Nixon: A Different World
In Winning Time, Norm Nixon (played by Nixon's son DeVaughn) has been shown as one of Magic Johnson's early rivals despite playing on the same team. In real life, they were able to put their rivalry to the side for the time being as Nixon was a part of two of the Lakers championships during their '80s dynasty before being traded to the Clippers in 1983.
The following year, he married actress and producer Debbie Allen who helped him land a cameo on a 1989 episode of A Different World for which she was showrunner and producer for.
Jamaal Wilkes: Cornbread, Earl, and Me
Jamaal Wilkes had a pretty underrated career as a player, which makes his inclusion in Winning Time, portrayed by Jimel Atkins, even more meaningful. He won 4 championships as a player (3 with the Lakers) and churned out a Hall of Fame career. His early days in the NBA saw him land a starring role in the basketball movie Cornbread, Earl, and Me alongside Laurence Fishburne in his first film role.
While Fishburne would go on to have a legendary run in film and television, Wilkes holds his own in this film as he plays a neighborhood basketball legend who becomes a victim of police brutality. The film deals with heavy themes and is underrated in the realm of sports films.
Larry Bird: Space Jam
There's no way to tell the story of Showtime Lakers without Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. Played by Sean Patrick Small in Winning Time, the rivalry crossed the lines of race, personality, and play style and is still considered the greatest in NBA history. Despite this, Magic and Bird are good friends in real life and are celebrated as the leaders in saving the NBA. Bird is also great for a cameo appearance from time to time, with one of his most notable being in Space Jam.
As one of the best movies starring NBA players, Bird's inclusion was welcomed as his on-screen friendship with Bill Murray provided a handful of laughs and great moments.
Jeanie Buss: Black-ish
Jeanie Buss (played by Hadley Robinson in Winning Time) is an extremely important figure in Lakers' history, especially recently as she's been the majority owner of the team since Jerry Buss's ing in 2013. Her humble beginnings working around the Lakers office as a young college student has been shown in Winning Time, as well as how she handles the relationships within her family.
While Jeanie has had plenty of non-basketball ventures, her most recent acting credit came in 2022 when she made a cameo in the final season of Black-ish alongside Magic Johnson and current of the Lakers roster.
Michael Cooper: Men of a Certain Age
When Michael Cooper first came to the Lakers, he was still trying to find his way in the NBA. Delonte Desouza's performance in Winning Time exemplifies this as he was still looking to gain respect in the locker room as a second-year player in 1979. But Cooper was resilient, playing 12 seasons for the Lakers, being a key piece in their dynasty, and being one of the best defenders of his era.
Like many of his Showtime Laker teammates, Cooper dipped his hand into acting and made an appearance on the short-lived comedy, Men of a Certain Age and was able to showcase some of his acting skills.
Red Auerbach: Amazing Grace and Chuck
Michael Chiklis' performance as the Celtics coaching legend may have been one of the best of the year so far. Auerbach's ion for winning and love for the Celtics as a whole was personified by Chiklis' portrayal and was a great way of foreshadowing the continued Lakers-Celtics rivalry into the 1980s. Auerbach won 9 championships as a coach and 7 more as an executive after retiring from coaching in 1966. During his run as an executive, Auerbach gave the blessing for the Celtics to be a focal point in 1987's Amazing Grace and Chuck which he also cameoed.
The Gregory Peck and Jamie Lee Curtis lead film sees a young kid wanting to protest his little league games until there were no more nuclear weapons and a Boston Celtics player who stood in solidarity.
Spencer Haywood: The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
While Spencer Haywood only played one season for the Lakers during their dynasty, his other career accomplishments were enough to put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Played by Wood Harris in Winning Time, his off-the-court struggles are an unfortunate part of an otherwise solid career. During his lone season with the Lakers, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh was released in 1979 where he appeared along with his Laker teammates Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Norm Nixon.
In the Julius Erving lead basketball film, Haywood portrayed himself as a member of New York, where he had played during filming. The film is a deep-cut in the large library of sports films, but a must-watch for fans of the vintage NBA.
Chick Hearn: Rugrats
Known as one of the most iconic voices in NBA history, Chick Hearn can be credited with popularizing different phrases in the basketball community. He's most known for calling Lakers games over four decades but also had a presence outside of basketball. He built a solid filmography, typically playing roles that involved announcing and that was no different in the "Touchdown Tommy" episode of Rugrats.
In the episode, he's announcing a football game between the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys and his legendary voice works in animation just as it did in real-life.