Why Magic Johnson Won't Be Watching HBO's Los Angeles Lakers Series 'Winning Time'

Earvin "Magic" Johnson has revealed why he won't be watching HBO's new miniseries, "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty."

The star-studded, 10-episode sports drama, which premiered Sunday, focuses on the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers squad — which included Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and head coach Pat Riley — and gives fans a look back at their incredible Showtime Era run.

However, Johnson, whose NBA start was explored in the premiere episode of "Winning Time," said he won't be tuning it as he believes the series won't be able to truly capture the ups and downs of that era.

"It's hard. I won’t watch it because it’s hard to duplicate," Johnson told Entertainment Tonight at the Los Angeles premiere of Apple TV+'s "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey" Monday. "You can't duplicate Showtime."

"First, on the court, I mean, we just did our thing, it was up and down," he explained. "And then off the court -- because unless you were a Laker, or you’re a Buss family [member] -- because you can’t duplicate Dr. Jerry Buss -- and the Laker Girls and Paula Abdul and what that meant, I mean, it started on the court and it went all the way up."

The former athlete added that he wasn't interested in watching a scripted version of his life — even if it is directed by Adam McKay and adapted from Jeff Pearlman's best-selling book, "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s."

"You just can’t duplicate it," Johnson said. "So I’m not gonna watch. Now, if the Lakers or myself or some Lakers have something to do with it, then I would, but it’s just- You can’t copy that, it's just too much."

Meanwhile, Quincy Isaiah previously opened up about playing a 20-year-old Magic Johnson in "Winning Time" during the series' premiere last week.

According to the actor, the show will see Johnson "being pulled from Michigan and being thrust into this spotlight that's in Los Angeles, California, and playing for the NBA."

"We meet him at a point in his life where he isn't this icon yet, and you get to see a little bit of where that comes from and how he grows into that," Isaiah explained. "But also, he's just a kid, you know? And you see the mistakes and the mountains and valleys of becoming this well-renowned figure. It's great."

Isaiah, who also plays basketball, recently told People that he considers portraying Johnson in the show the "role of a lifetime." The actor said he was looking forward to fans learning more about the Lakers franchise and "how pivotal it was in basketball and entertainment."

"Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" airs every Sunday at 9 p.m. EST/PT on HBO. New episodes will begin streaming after on HBO Max.