Truth Season on Winning Time

In this episode, Spencer welcomes award-winning screenwriter and executive producer of HBO's latest hit series "Winning Time" Rodney Barnes, plus actor and former Cal basketball star Solomon Hughes who portrays Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and actor Quincy Isaiah who plays Magic Johnson.

Spencer talks with Rodney about how the show came together, then with Solomon about his college basketball days and earning his PhD. Both Solomon and Quincy chat about their first acting roles and Quincy details the challenges of emulating Magic's high-energy personality.

The group then discusses the struggles that black athletes faced at the time and contextualizes them with some of Spencer's experiences. Finally, Spencer explains how grateful he is to the cast and crew of "Winning Time" for telling the truth about him and the 1980 Lakers, so others can learn from their mistakes as well as their successes.


Key Takeaways
In this podcast, you will learn:
-The origin of HBO's newest hit "Winning Time"
-Spencer's early life experience and struggles
-The challenges of facing the Supreme Court for a black athlete in the '70s
-How Spencer's struggles were indicative of the wide-ranging effects of being born into indentured slavery
-Why Spencer thinks Solomon and Quincy are able to portray their characters so accurately
-How grateful Spencer is that Rodney and "Winning Time" have helped so many people learn about Spencer's legacy and his influence on the game of basketball


Quotes
The doctor's office and hospital were all six miles away from my home. However, we were unable to see that doctor because we were black. So we may see a veterinarian and a farm doctor, but not a real doctor. - Spencer

We were up against a group of high school players who preferred to wear Adidas or pro shoes rather than Converse. My Converse at that time had a hole in the bottom, so I had to stuff it with cardboard paper. So I gathered all of their shoes and had to return them to my Mississippi county so that my men could have shoes since we didn't have any. We played barefoot. - Spencer

I believe you (Spencer) are the embodiment of a leader because, at the end of the day, a leader is so focused on the objective that the criticisms do not distract them. They know what the correct thing to do is, and they do it. - Solomon

One of the most amazing things about black people is our ability to utilize comedy to discuss these horrible events. - Solomon

As a black man, you know that blacks weren't treated well, but I didn't know anything like that. I had no idea it had gotten so far into the weeds. And I imagine that if I talked to my grandparents, they would have had similar experiences. - Quincy

I knew that if we were able to mix all of the various ingredients from the game, the culture of the men who play the game, how they live their lives, and the things that are important to them, add all of this and with the great cinematic team that we have, great props folks and everybody else involved, you have something special. - Rodney

Featured in this Episode
Spencer Haywood | American Former Basketball Player | Olympic Gold Medalist | NBA Champion, All-Star, All-NBA First Team, | ABA MVP, '70 ROY
Profile: https://linktr.ee/SpencerHaywood

Rodney Barnes | Award-Winning Writer & Producer | A force in horror, fantasy, and drama
Website: https://rodneybarnes.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

Solomon Hughes | Actor Portraying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Winning Time
Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/solomonyounghughes/