How to survive a plague | 'Winning Time'

"Foretold" is the newest podcast from the L.A. Times, and we're sharing a preview of the first episode with you here today. In the fall of 2019, reporter Faith E. Pinho received a tip from a woman named Paulina Stevens. Paulina claimed she had grown up in an insular Romani community in California, where she was raised to be a wife, mother and fortuneteller — until she decided to break away. That first call unraveled a story spanning multiple continents, hundreds of years, and complex metaphysical realities.  Follow "Foretold" to hear new episodes every Tuesday. 

All good things must come to an end. Including basketball dynasties (and podcast seasons).In the season finale of “Binge Sesh,” hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox examine the lasting effects of the Showtime-era Lakers by looking at what came after. From David Stern and the Olympics Dream Team to ESPN and the Chicago Bulls, we discuss how the NBA attained a new level of prominence in the 1990s and explain how the team of the 1980s made it possible.For the podcast transcript, real-life photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

At a time when HIV was still seen as a death sentence, Magic Johnson shocked the world by announcing he was infected. But the bigger shock may have been what happened next.In  this episode of “Binge Sesh,” hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox explore the defining moment that opens HBO’s “Winning Time”: Magic Johnson’s 1991 diagnosis with HIV. With help from experts and Johnson’s fans, we reflect on the announcement’s seismic impact and explore how it changed the face of the disease at the height of the AIDS crisis.For the podcast transcript, real-life photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

What does it mean to say the NBA had a drug problem in the 1970s and 1980s?In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox examine recreational drug use in professional basketball in the Showtime era. Zooming in on the depiction of Spencer Haywood in HBO's "Winning Time" and zooming out to the U.S. government's war on drugs, we deconstruct the rhetoric — from politicians, the press, even players — that shaped perceptions of the NBA and explain how systemic racism turned a health crisis into a moral panic. For the podcast transcript, production stills, real-life photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

Sure, the best professional athletes pull in salaries to match. But to find the real money in sports, you need to look someplace else: endorsements. In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox draw inspiration from Nike cofounder Phil Knight's pursuit of Magic Johnson in "Winning Time." With help from the HBO series' executive producer Rodney Barnes and industry insiders, we explore the origin, development and explosion of athlete endorsement deals, from a $6.6-million baseball card to social media "microinfluencers" and more.For the podcast transcript, photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

The Laker Girls. The Forum Club. Celebrities sitting courtside. The beating heart of Showtime-era Los Angeles was the "Fabulous Forum."In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox dive into the history of the Lakers' longtime home. We look back on the Forum's construction in the 1960s, its heyday under Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Forum general manager Claire Rothman, and the team's move to the Staples Center to understand how a sports arena became the perfect symbol of 20th century L.A.For the podcast transcript, photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

There may be no figure in Lakers history more misunderstood than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And "Winning Time" tries to correct, or at least complicate, the record.In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox discuss the perception and reality of the NBA's all-time leading point scorer. With insights from an array of special guests — including Solomon Hughes, who plays the Lakers legend in HBO's drama series — we look back over Abdul-Jabbar's career as a star center and civil rights activist to answer the question: Has he been unfairly excluded from the conversation about basketball's greatest-ever player? For the podcast transcript, production stills, real-life photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

In the male-dominated world of the Showtime Lakers, two women emerged as key figures: Jeanie Buss, daughter of and successor to team owner Jerry Buss, and her mentor Claire Rothman, the Forum's general manager and vice president. In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox examine "Winning Time's" depiction of women, with the help of actor Gaby Hoffmann, who plays Rothman, and Rebecca Bertuch, a writer for the HBO drama. Sifting through what's fact, what's fiction and what's something in between, we examine whether a story can be honest without being fully true. And we ask whether the series solves the problem posed by its womanizing protagonist, Jerry Buss. For the podcast transcript, production stills, real-life photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

Before Pat Riley led the Showtime Lakers to four NBA championships — and became a celebrity in his own right — the team went through enough coaching drama to fuel a soap opera.In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox bring you the backstories of four key players in HBO's "Winning Time," each of whom served as head coach of Lakers in the four years at the start of the Showtime era: Jerry West, Jack McKinney, Paul Westhead and Pat Riley. From sudden departures and unfortunate accidents to Shakespearean betrayals and tabloid stardom, strap in for the series of unfortunate events that helped form the Showtime we know and love. For the podcast transcript, production stills, real-life photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com. 

Every great story needs a villain — and for the Los Angeles Lakers, the biggest bad of all has always been the Boston Celtics.In this episode of “Binge Sesh,” hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox explore the most storied rivalry in NBA history. From Larry Bird to the “Beat L.A.” chant, we examine how the Celtics — embodied in HBO’s “Winning Time” by legendary coach and general manager Red Auerbach — came to be the Lakers’ quintessential opponent, for reasons that went way beyond the basketball court.For the podcast transcript, production stills, real-life photos and links to much more, visit the episode page on latimes.com.