Magic Johnson will not appear in HBO's forthcoming series on the Los Angeles Lakers' glory years in the 1980s.

The next scripted series, from showrunner Max Borenstein and director and executive producer Adam McKay, will premiere in March, focused on the NBA team's successful "Showtime" period.

Magic stated that he isn't looking forward to it, and he went on to say that he and Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss are both working on their own programs. 

“We got different shows coming out,” he said. “I got one. Then, Jeanie Buss got one on Showtime coming out. Those are the ones [I’m] looking forward to, OK?”, Johnson stated. 

Winning Time, based on Jeff Pearlman's book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, does not include the Lakers organization, but it does feature a bevy of high-profile people.

Magic is played by newcomer Quincy Isaiah, with additional cast members including John C. Reilly as then-owner Jerry Buss, Jason Clarke as general manager Jerry West, and Adrien Brody as coach Pat Riley. Jeanie is played by Hadley Robinson.

Winning Time was created at Gary Sanchez Productions, which McKay co-founded with Will Ferrell. The duo parted ways in 2019, and Ferrell was allegedly outraged to discover third-hand that Reilly, not Ferrell, had been chosen as Jerry Buss when Michael Shannon pulled out.