A new comedy on Netflix caught the attention of Jeanie Buss, the president and controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, for obvious reasons.
The show, titled “Running Point” and starring Kate Hudson, was announced on Tuesday. The actress plays the main role in a storyline that’s reminiscent of Buss’ tenure with the Lakers. According to Netflix’s description, when Hudson’s brother is forced to resign as president of the fictional Los Angeles Waves, she replaces him.
“Now that she’s stepping up into the family business, she’s going to have to prove to her skeptical brothers, the board, and the larger sports community that she was the right choice for the job,” Netflix adds. “Over the course of the series, she sets out to do just that — especially in the unpredictable, male-dominated world of sports.
It’s a plot that references changes the Lakers franchise made in 2017.
Jeanie fired her brother Jim, who served as executive vice president of basketball operations, and general manager Mitch Kupchak while naming Lakers legend Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations. She became Lakers governor when her father and longtime owner Dr. Jerry Buss died in 2013.
The news of the Netflix show caught the attention of Buss, who posted about its familiarity on X.
This looks a little familiar 🤔@mindykaling and Kate Hudson on @netflix – sounds like a winner 🏆 https://t.co/2fyXOXL6oF
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) January 21, 2025
The image used to promote the show is similar to the cover of a book Jeanie authored in 2010 called “Laker Girl.” It was rereleased in 2013 with a different cover, which Jeanie alluded to in a separate post.
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) January 21, 2025
The Lakers’ president is credited as an executive producer for one episode of the show, according to IMDB. Linda Rambis, manager of special projects for the Lakers and wife to Lakers senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis, is also listed as an executive producer for an episode.
One of the Waves players is “Marcus Winfield,” who in Netflix’s announcement of the series is described as: “a once-in-a-generation talent with two championship rings, two Olympic gold medals, and 12 All-Star Game visits,” similar to Lakers forward LeBron James.
The 10-episode series premiers Feb. 27.
