Lakers, Hulu teaming up on 9-part documentary series
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Hulu announced Monday that a new nine-part original docuseries chronicling the history of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise will join the video streaming service's lineup next year.
The as-yet-untitled project comes to Hulu from Lakers CEO and controlling owner Jeanie Buss and director Antoine Fuqua, in association with Fuqua Films, Haven Entertainment and the Los Angeles Media Fund.
The series will detail the past four decades of the franchise, and contain new interviews from more than 35 people within the organization, including the Buss family, former coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, and NBA Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among numerous other current and former players.
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Also featured are interviews with a range of high-profile fans and a treasure trove of archival footage featuring never-before-seen interviews with the Lakers late owner, Jerry Buss. Starting from his acquisition of the team in 1979, the docuseries captures Jerry Buss' journey to build, sustain and pass on a family-run sports empire. The project will offer a look inside the legendary "Showtime" era that saw the team win five NBA titles and turned the Forum into Hollywood's hottest ticket throughout the 1980s.
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The series also details the high-stakes drama off the court and incredible successes of the Kobe Bryant and O'Neal-led championship teams, as well as the cultural impact of the Lakers franchise and rebirth of the team, culminating with the 2020 NBA championship led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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Jeanie Buss said that when her dad "bought the Lakers in 1979, he sat alone at center court of the Forum and thought of all the possibilities. But even in his wildest dreams, my father could not have imagined what the next decades would bring for our organization, our league and our city of Los Angeles… I am thrilled that the true story of the Lakers will finally be shared with the world -- and that we are in such capable hands with Hulu and Antoine, a director whose storytelling I've admired for years."
Fuqua's directing credits include the films "Training Day," "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Equalizer."