Hulu releases first trailer for Lakers ‘Legacy’ docuseries

Most Laker fans who watched the playoffs, and specifically, the NBA Finals, probably caught a short glimpse of an intriguing project from Hulu titled, Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers. The brief trailer played numerous times throughout the postseason, and, on Monday, the nearly two-minute-long teaser trailer dropped for the upcoming 10-part docuseries.

This is an exciting series to look forward to for several reasons. For one, just about every living major character associated with the history of the Lakers appears to be involved. This trailer alone shows glimpses of Jeanie Buss, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Phil Jackson, Shaq, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West.

Hulu released the following synopsis on the project, which features Jeanie — and Linda Rambis — as an executive producer.

When charismatic real estate tycoon Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Los Angeles Lakers in a wildly risky and complex business deal, nobody could’ve predicted just how much success was to come. Kicking off the “Showtime” era in 1979, the notorious L.A.-playboy pioneered the business of basketball. He raised the price of floor seats, introduced dancers and a live band, opened an exclusive private club inside the arena, and cultivated famous fans in Hollywood. Over the last 40 years, the team captured 11 titles and retired the jerseys of some of the NBA’s most legendary players.

Today, Dr. Buss’s empire is now worth more than $5 billion. But all of that success did not come easy. Along with notorious feuds, career-ending illnesses, and a bevy of insurmountable on-court obstacles, the Lakers have also weathered intense drama off the court – within Dr. Buss’s own family. Running the franchise as a “mom and pop” operation, Dr. Buss gave his children front office jobs with the understanding they would, someday, inherit his kingdom. But sibling rivalry, interpersonal conflict, and corporate unrest threatened to destroy everything Dr. Buss worked so hard to build. Ultimately, “Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers” is about family, business, and power –and how all three must be harnessed to achieve greatness.

There is no set release date for the project, though as the trailer says, its debut will come soon.

While documentaries tend to take a more one-sided approach to history, that doesn’t mean they can’t still be both informative and enjoyable. Between Legacy, Magic Johnson’s recent docuseries, and HBO’s Winning Time, Laker fans have gotten a handful of big-picture looks at the team that has grown into one of the highest-profile sports franchises in the world.

And based on this trailer, Legacy could provide yet another side to that story this summer.

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.