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Report: Adrien Brody Cast as Pat Riley in HBO Series on 1980 'Showtime' Lakers

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistMarch 16, 2021

Adrien Brody arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Evan Agostini/Associated Press

Actor Adrien Brody will reportedly portray Pat Riley in HBO's upcoming series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, according to Joe Otterson of Variety.

Riley served as the head coach of the Showtime Lakers between the 1979-80 and 1989-90 seasons, leading the team to four titles. Those Lakers, headlined by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, regularly did battle with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, furthering one of the best rivalries in sports. 

The show, based off the Jeff Pearlman book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, will reportedly explore the "professional and personal lives" of the Showtime Lakers. 

Brody will take on the role of the team's dynamic head coach after past roles in The Pianist, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Midnight in Paris and The Darjeeling Limited, among other films.