'Winning Time' behind-the-scenes footage of how Lakers basketball scenes were shot is mind-blowing

HBO’s Winning Time is one of the most popular scripted basketball shows to come out recently — and for good reason.

It’s easy to become infatuated with any story involving superstars like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But this show also had some phenomenal performances from actors like John C. Reilly, who portrayed longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss.

The show, which was renewed for a second season, included some incredible basketball footage as well. It was so good, in fact, that it earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series.

Take a look at some of how the show was shot, and you’ll understand why:

That was so awesome! This does a great job of blending behind-the-scenes footage with what viewers actually saw on the screen. But I especially loved watching the cameraman who was on skates.

For more on the series, you can read our interview with Jason Segel (who portrays coach Paul Westhead) by clicking here and our interview with Adrien Brody (who portrays coach Pat Riley) by clicking here.

When I spoke to Segel, he told me it was not uncommon for the actors to spend the entire day playing basketball:

“In between takes, these guys who are portraying the Lakers — who are playing all day on screen — were playing pick-up games between shots. They kept each other pumped up and going. It really was inspirational to see. There is boundless energy.”

You can tell, from the footage embedded above, that these guys are actually hooping out there. This seems like it would have been a fun show to work on.

Viewers can stream episodes of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on HBO Max.