The Lakers and Celtics' Rivalry Heats Up in New "Winning Time" Season 2 Trailer

Max's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" finished with an excellent record for its first season in 2022. Now, the biopic series is set to return next month for another intense installment. Max dropped a season two preview on June 12 in the form of a short trailer, which teases the Los Angeles Lakers defending their winning title as Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Larry Bird's (Sean Patrick Small) rivalry heats up. The full trailer, which was released on July 20, hinted at the heated competition between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics. According to Max, the upcoming season will hone in on the Lakers' purple-and-gold reign just after the NBA Finals in 1980 all the way through 1984, culminating in the first professional title clash of the era's greatest basketball stars, Johnson and Bird, who famously squared off in the 1979 men's college basket championship game. "Winning Time" is based on Jeff Pearlman's 2014 book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s." The Adam McKay-directed drama series chronicles the real-life story of the Los Angeles Lakers and their epic rise in the '80s. The series stars newcomer Isaiah as Johnson, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John C. Reilly as Dr. Jerry Buss, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, and Adrien Brody as Pat Riley. McKay serves as executive producer alongside showrunner/executive producer/writer/cocreator Max Borenstein. The show, which wrapped season one on May 8, 2022, was renewed in April of last year with plans to continue the Lakers' story in season two. "It's been a thrill to bring 'Winning Time' to life with Adam McKay, Max Borenstein, our phenomenal producing team, and this incredible cast," Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, said in a press statement. "This series not only tells the riveting story of the Lakers' rise, but is also a look back at a transformative era in basketball, celebrity, and the city of Los Angeles. We can't wait to see how this team will tell the next chapter of this dynasty." Read ahead for everything else we know about "Winning Time" season two, including when it premieres this August.