HBO's Winning Time captures the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty in the early 1980s and tells of the many fascinating personalities that went into making the team a success. Though the figures in the show are exaggerated, many of the characters represent the hyper-competitive aspects of the professional sports world.
While many of the characters exhibit elements of several signs of the zodiac, most of them clearly conform to individual signs and their corresponding traits. Because of this, there is a Winning Time character for every zodiac sign.
Like many of the best sports movies, the dynamic personality of Winning Time's lead character is on full display in the form of Magic Johnson. While he is far from perfect, Magic's character is one that has the most room for growth as he can put his Aries tendencies to good use.
Magic possesses the Aries form of confidence, and it can sometimes come out through on-court aggression against those he doesn't like. He knows he can be a good leader, but he is forced to impatiently wait behind a team full of seasoned veterans.
Norm Nixon is not one of the most celebrated players in NBA history, but his dedication to the game shows through in Winning Time. His starting point guard role is jeopardized by the arrival of Magic Johnson, and he shows off his Taurus stubbornness while defending it.
Norm's practicality has allowed him to set himself up for success after basketball, but he is also incredibly possessive over what he has. Though it seems as if he is taking Magic under his wing, he is actually patiently waiting for a chance to undermine his new teammate.
While there is usually not a lot of room for sensitivity in the highly competitive world of professional sports, Pat Riley represents a notable exception. The former player is at his wit's end when he approaches the Lakers for a chance at any kind of job related to basketball.
Like a true Gemini, Riley is torn between the dualistic aspects of his personality. Though he is a driven and motivated competitor, Riley slowly comes to learn that it is a sense of accomplishment and belonging that he strives for most.
Unlike many of the bombastic personalities that Magic Johnson encounters in Los Angeles, his mother Christine is grounded in her own version of reality. A deeply spiritual and distrustful woman, Christine worries about her son's future, even though it seems as if he has everything worked out.
While it seems that Christine only exhibits the worst of her Cancer sign, she actually exhibits the best as well. Though she is distrustful and subtly manipulative with her children, it ultimately comes from her intense loyalty to her family and the way of life she has cultivated for them.
Few characters on Winning Time so perfectly exhibit their zodiac sign quite as much as Red Auerbach. The extremely confident owner of the Boston Celtics is not only cocky, but he has the reputation to back up his very Leo-like claim of greatness.
Even though Dr. Jerry Buss comes to Red for advice, the swarthy owner sees it as an affront to his status as "king of the jungle" and takes things personally. While Auerbach may come off as a negative portrayal of a Leo, his immense passion for what he does is a more subtle reference to the positives of his personality.
Jerry West may have been a celebrated athlete in his day, but it never seemed to be enough to quell the Virgo aspects of his personality. In his head coaching role for the Lakers, West struggles to fight back his own sense of self-doubt despite a golden opportunity to win.
Governed by his critical mind and fiery temper, West is a quintessential Virgo who holds himself to as high a standard as he holds everyone else. Though he may come off as prickly, he is actually a deeply caring and passionate person when it comes to the things he cares about the most.
If anyone taught Magic Johnson the importance of pride in one's work, it was his father Earvin Johnson Senior. Though Mr. Johnson's life may not have been as glamorous as his son's, he still showed pride in the life he has and proved that hard work has its rewards.
As a Libra, Mr. Johnson shows that he can play a more diplomatic role than his decisive wife, Christine. His penchant for the status quo has allowed him to go through life without ruffling too many feathers, and thus set his children up for greater success in the future.
From being one of the most iconic actresses of the 1970s to playing a dynamic personality from the 1970s, Sally Field embodies Jessie Buss. Dr. Buss' mother is the behind-the-scenes engine of the Buss family enterprise and is a textbook Scorpio.
Her loyalty to her family enables her to cut straight to the heart of matters, and get down to brass tacks. Her language may seem somewhat abusive, but she is merely showing a practical side that her son lacks when it comes to money matters. Like most Scorpios, it is better to go with her than against her.
Showing that John C. Reilly can play completely different types of roles, he steps into the shoes of the dynamic personality of Dr. Jerry Buss. A Sagittarius through and through, Dr. Buss has a vision for the Lakers and is willing to bend reality to make it happen.
Always promising more than he can deliver, Dr. Buss' Sagittarius traits are on full display both good and bad. His generosity and magnanimity is a tremendous strengths, but it also weakens him as a businessman when he cannot make decisions in an impartial or practical way.
Claire Rothman's success as the manager of the Lakers' venue, The Forum, is a testament to her resilience and know-how in a male-dominated industry. Because of her successes though, many of her Capricorn traits are manifested through the way she conducts business.
Unwilling to listen to Jeanie's forward thinking suggestions, Claire can sometimes come off as a know-it-all. However, those seemingly negative traits are balanced by her immensely practical side which has kept the business afloat despite major setbacks. She is an excellent manager and one of the only truly responsible people in this strange world of professional sports.
"The Captain" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most celebrated figures in basketball history and a multi-time world champion. In the show, however, the noted athlete turned actor, comes off as stoic and aloof to the unfolding drama around him.
Much like the textbook Aquarius, Abdul-Jabbar seems so wrapped up in his own personal journey that he can't be bothered to be involved with a major shift in his team. Even when directly approached for his feedback, Kareem refuses to give in to the emotional expression of his team and instead remains mostly silent on matters.
Though not as over-the-top as many of the other personalities on the show, Jeanie Buss is still an integral figure in the history of the Lakers franchise. As the daughter of Dr. Buss, she is given a role in the office that allows her to express the best parts of her Pisces personality--even if no one wants to listen to her.
Jeanie perfectly exhibits many of the best and worst traits of a Pisces, while she is very clever, intuitive, and has a flair for the theatrical, she also has a confidence problem. While she is often overpowered by more forceful personalities, Jeanie shows that her creativity and forward-thinking is too important to be ignored.
