Showtime: Jeff Pearlman’s Lakers Book Headed to HBO

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Jeff Pearlman’s book on the ‘Showtime’ Los Angeles Lakers is going to be an HBO drama, per reports.

Take one peek at Jeff Pearlman’s resume and you’ll know he’s a living legend in the sportswriting world. All the biggest sports media brands have published Pearlman, including Sports Illustrated and ESPN, but the real meat of his career rests on the bookshelves of your local Barnes & Noble. Pearlman, a University of Delaware alum, has penned eight non-fiction books, each revealing gritty details of sports stories you thought you knew, with several going on to become New York Times bestsellers.

His sixth book, a behind-the-scenes portrait of the ‘Showtime’ Los Angeles Lakers, could be the one everyone remembers, though.

On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Pearlman’s book is being picked up by HBO. Adam McKay will direct the pilot and serve as executive producer, while Max Borenstein will pen the pilot episode. Jim Hecht, according to THR, will also be a writer on the project.

Borenstein, Hecht and Jason Shuman will also be credited as EPs on the drama, which HBO describes as a fast-break series chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined its era, both on and off the court.

“Jeff Pearlman’s book and Max Borenstein’s script of the story of the Showtime Lakers really knocked me over. Sexism, racism, tragedy, redemption, no-look passes and a giant cultural shift in America… I can’t wait to start filming,” McKay said Tuesday in a statement.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Having Adam McKay attached to the project is huge. He’s already familiar with HBO, directing episodes of Succession and Eastbound & Down, and is fresh off a Best Director nomination at 91st Academy Awards for Vice.

Vice, it should be noted, was also nominated for Best Picture, earning eight nominations total.

In response to the THR article, Pearlman said on Twitter that the news was “pretty thrilling.”

You can purchase Showtime here.

Pearlman, a native New Yorker, is currently working on another book about the Lakers. This time, however, it will document the Kobe Bryant–Shaquille O’Neal era.

Editor’s Note: Jeff did an interview with Slackie Brown in 2018 regarding his latest book release. You can listen below…