The HBO exclusive series Winning Time has become a commercial hit for the streaming platform, in spite of some mixed critical reception and negative responses from the real-life people depicted. And this really is no wonder, as sports dramas and retellings of historically famous sports franchises can often draw in passionate crowds. Even for people who don’t take much interest in athletics, there is something innately compelling and sympathetic to stories that focus on people struggling to the top.

With Winning Time having wrapped up its first season on May 8, 2022, many are wondering about (and greatly anticipating) the show’s future. Thankfully, HBO has already announced that a second season is in the works, something fans can look forward to in the years to come. Let’s look at everything we know and speculate on for Winning Time season 2 so far.

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Winning Time Season 2: The Story

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Season one brought fans through a retelling of the rise to the top for the then-rookie Los Angeles Lakers. Following the lives of its players both on and off the court, the story being told culminates in their victory in the NBA playoffs for the 1979-1980 season. It’s been wondered where season two will go from there, and while it’s far too early to know any concrete details, we can make some reasonable guesses.

Of course, the Lakers and its players have colorful histories that go far beyond the bounds of what season one told. In fact, season one barely scratched the surface. The novel the show is based on — Jeff Pearlman’s Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty — chronicles well past the season one finale. There is plenty of potential there, and judging by the opening scene of the pilot episode, the writers are willing to incorporate time skips. Might season two see us leaping forward a few years? It’s certainly a possibility.

However, it’d also be interesting to see the show’s take on the beginning of that famous rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Judging by that final episode, Winning Time might be gearing up for more focus on that, as well as the larger overall rivalry between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics.

Whatever the case, we can feel confident that the writers have a plan for where they want to go. In an interview with IndieWire, series co-creator Max Borstein had this to say:

Storylines that are thought out in advance are always something we love to see.

Winning Time Season 2: The Cast

There is a huge lineup of main and recurring characters in the first season alone, all of whom could be easily assumed will make a return for a second season. Fans should, of course, expect a return of familiar faces, with the likes of Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss. We’re also hoping to see more of Sean Patrick Small as Larry Bird for that aforementioned famous rivalry.

Winning Time Season 2: Release Date

Fans shouldn’t expect Winning Time season 2 until 2023 or 2024. This might also be the case for any concrete updates. HBO and Winning Time’s writers and directors may choose to reveal small tidbits of information, but material such as trailers or actual release dates are likely a ways off.

At the very least, filming and production should be more streamlined this time around, especially when compared to the past. The concept of Winning Time as a show first emerged back in 2014, when series co-creator Jim Hecht first pitched the idea of an adaptation of Pearlman’s novel to the author himself. The show then floated around as a concept for a while, but it wasn’t until 2019 that HBO officially ordered a pilot for the series, and Max Borenstein was brought on. Casting, filming, and production went into full swing for the next few years until the pilot was released in March 2022.

With the initial stress of getting the show greenlit out of the way, we can anticipate that HBO is all in for this second season and most likely wants its return to their streaming platform sooner rather than later. Considering that Winning Time has also become a commercial success and was confirmed for a second season halfway through season one’s ten-episode runtime, we can surmise that HBO is taking the potential for this series seriously.