The world remains a divided place. Whether it be race, caste or creed, there are few topics people can unanimously agree upon. However, there are a few things that bring people from all walks of life together. Perhaps the entire concept of sports should breed more division. Competition, rivalries and feuds run aplenty in every sport, including the NBA. But, according to the director of the Los Angeles Lakers blockbuster, it can also send a message of unity.

With a marvelous second season in the books, the show seeks to deliver a straightforward message through its cast.

Is the latest Lakers blockbuster a personification?

Despite its very nature, sports serve as a great uniter. Only at a sporting event can you sit down with a complete stranger beside you and feel every emotion under the sun together. Whether it be pain, excitement, sadness or joy, sports bring people together in a way few others can.

So, the director of?Winning Time, the HBO masterpiece, detailed how he used that concept for the biggest divider. Documenting the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s, both seasons saw a story-driven approach. Explaining this departure from usual sports documentaries to Hollywood Reporter, Todd Banhazl sent a powerful message.

“I think what Winning Time is really about is America. It?s about race and capitalism and how those two things interact, particularly at that time in America, and how that mirrors what?s happening now in America, what things have changed and what things haven?t changed… In some ways, Magic versus Bird or Buss versus Reid or L.A. versus Boston is like the story of new America versus old America, or like black versus white.

“I think it?s so important that Magic and Bird personify those ideas, and why it?s so important that ultimately, they become friends in the actual true story of their lives. This series is about those themes and those characters told through the story of basketball.”?

While certainly a bold idea, the parallels are remarkably easy to draw. Whether or not the message reaches the audience remains a mystery. But perhaps the Magic Johnson – Larry Bird pair can bring about significant change again.

Saving the NBA

Nowadays, the NBA is a global sport with names like Nikola Jokic and Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic dazzling fans worldwide. However, before the LeBron James of the world took over, before Michael Jordan took his first flight, the NBA would have remained a minor sport if not for 2 names.

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Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Historically tied to each other since that fateful night in 1979, the two changed the face of basketball. After doing record-breaking numbers during their NCAA Championship game, both Bird and Magic made the jump to the NBA.

That they joined the two most precious franchises in the league, the Lakers and the Boston Celtics, was the icing on the cake. What followed was a decade of competition between two stars and teams that would give birth to the NBA as we know it.

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As the league soared in popularity, new TV deals came aplenty. A 40-year domino effect later, the league stands as the juggernaut it is today. Even Jerry West could get on board with this idea behind Winning Time. If they were able to flip the script on the NBA and its perception, perhaps, the ambitions of Banhazl aren’t as far-fetched.