Adam McKay and the team behind the new HBO basketball biopic Winning Time have surely assembled one of the largest and most impressive casts ever seen on television.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is a new 10-part season which gets underway on Sunday, March 6. The story begins in the late '70s as Jerry Buss buys the LA Lakers and sets about making the team one of the most successful in the NBA. His first move as the new owner? Recruit the breakout college star 'Magic' Johnson to his team.
There are a lot of stars to spot in Winning Time, with a lot more added as the series progresses. Here's Newsweek's comprehensive list of all the recognizable faces appearing in the new HBO comedy drama Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
John C. Reilly — Jerry Buss
Leading the cast and setting the wheels of Winning Time into motion is John C. Reilly who plays the new LA Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
The eccentric businessman sets about building the Lakers into one of the most successful teams of the following decade, rejuvenating the failing NBA in the process.
Jason Clarke — Jerry West
Australian actor Jason Clarke plays one of the most hot-headed characters in Winning Time, Jerry West. The former NBA player turned Lakers coach has a chip on his shoulder as a result of losing so many play-offs to the Boston Celtics. West is known to many as the player whose silhouette is used in the NBA logo.
Quincy Isaiah — Magic Johnson
A nationwide search for the right actor resulted in Quincy Isaiah being cast as Earvin Johnson Jr., aka Magic Johnson.
Winning Time opens with Johnson receiving his HIV diagnosis in 1991 but we then see his story told from the moment he decided to join the Lakers in 1979.
Solomon Hughes — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Solomon Hughes, Ph.D. is getting his first onscreen credit as the legendary baller Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Winning Time.
Fresh off the back of making his hilarious cameo in Airplane, Abdul-Jabbar clashing with young buck Magic after he joins the team.
DeVaughn Nixon — Norm Nixon
Lakers player Norm Nixon is played by his real-life son DeVaughn. DeVaughn didn't get the role by default though as his previous onscreen credits include Marvel's Runaways, Sonny With A Chance and The Bodyguard.
Norm Nixon is also put out by the arrival of the supposed prodigy, Magic, who is recruited to the Lakers by Jerry Buss.
Gaby Hoffman — Claire Rothman
Former child star Gaby Hoffman plays one of the hard-working but underappreciated behind the scenes staff members at the LA Lakers. Perennially overlooked, Claire has to deal with casual workplace sexism until Jerry seemingly comes in to shake up the way the business is run.
Hoffman has appeared in TV shows Girls and Transparent in the past decade but as a child actor she was in Uncle Buck, Sleepless in Seattle and Now and Then.
Hadley Robinson — Jeanie Buss
Jerry Buss' daughter Jeanie is played by actress Hadley Robinson. Jeanie is conflicted as she respects her father and wants to contribute to the family business but starts to see a sexist world where the cards are stacked against her.
Robinson has a number of notable credits to her name after appearing in the Oscar-winning Little Women and the recent Netflix movie Moxie, directed by Amy Poehler.
Rob Morgan — Earvin Johnson Sr.
Fresh off his major role in Adam McKay's movie Don't Look Up, Morgan once again works with the director in Winning Time.
Morgan plays Magic Johnson's father Earvin Johnson Sr. who makes sure to keep his overly confident son in check before he starts his journey in the NBA.
Tamera Tomakili — Earlitha 'Cookie' Kelly
Tamera Tomakili, another newcomer, joins the cast of Winning Time as the object of Magic's affections, Cookie Kelly. While some may know how their love story plays out, within the time period of this HBO show, Cookie is less than impressed by Magic's showmanship as he tries to court her.
Tracy Letts — Jack McKinney
Mercurial coach Jack McKinney played a big part in providing the platform on which the Lakers built their success, but it wasn't all plain sailing for the NBA coach. He's played by award-winning writer and actor Tracy Letts, who joins the show from Episode 2 onwards.
Sally Field — Jessie Buss
The matriarch and accountant of the Buss family, Sally Field plays John C. Reilly's onscreen mother Jessie. With money tight and businesses failing, Jerry relies on his mom Jessie to cook the books and keep the lights on at the Lakers' stadium.
Michael Chiklis — Red Auerbach
Every good story needs a villain and in Winning Time the foe of Jerry Buss is the incredibly successful NBA figure Red Auerbach, played with conviction by Michael Chiklis. Before 1979 when Winning Time begins, Auerbach had led the Boston Celtics through one of their most successful periods, dominating the league and beating the Lakers on several occasions along the way.
Jason Segal —Paul Westhead
Jason Segal's Paul Westhead joins Winning Time as a package deal with Letts' character Jack McKinney. The mild-mannered former amateur player is the Lakers' assistant head coach until a sudden accident pushes him into the limelight.
Adrien Brody —Pat Riley
Oscar-winner Adrien Brody's character Pat Riley sits on the periphery of the Lakers' success too until it's time for him to step forward. The former NBA pro is a lost soul until he finds a new purpose within the game, via a brief stint in the commentary box. All the while his understanding wife Chris (played by Community star Gillian Jacobs) has to put up with some extreme but brief mood swings from Pat.
Episode 1 of Winning Time, "The Swan" airs on Sunday, March 6 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
