Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers (Hulu)

Director: Antione Fuqua (2022)

Cast: Jeanie Buss, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers is a 10-part documentary that covers one of the most successful sports franchises in history. The story begins with an unlikely gambler/mogul Dr. Jerry Buss and his basketball fandom buying a sputtering Lakers franchise and using some savvy moves to get key frachise icons to buy into his vision.

The Lakers were transformed from the moment Magic Johnson joined Kareem Abdul Jabbar on the court and carried through to Shaq and Kobe, as well as Lebron and Anthony Davis.

This is a well-executed docuseries and matches the Michael Jordan Last Dance in a lot of ways shot for shot. It can be argued that the Showtime Lakers were every bit as good as the Bulls teams of the 90’s and possibly the Celtics of the 1960’s. That debate will go on forever.

Fun Fact:

Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers tells a more-realistic version of the Lakers story than the HBO Winning Time (scripted series). The interviews by the main subjects spell out the facts. The Lakers participated as an organization to get this made.