Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Running Point’ takes the audience into the executive side of the basketball world. The story focuses on Isla Gordon, who is thrust into the limelight when her brother and the President of the team is removed from his position following a scandal. He chooses Isla over their two brothers, both of whom have been in major positions within the company compared to her, which irks many people. The job is a chance for her to prove herself, but it is also incredibly challenging as the Los Angeles Waves team has been struggling for a while. There is also the part about the upcoming championship, which is to take place in the grand Copilot Arena. To keep things real, the show borrows the team as well as the arena from real life.
The LA Waves is a Fictional Rendering of the Lakers
Created by Mindy Kaling, Elaine Ko, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen, ‘Running Point’ is a heavily fictionalized version of Jeanie Buss’ story, the president of the LA Lakers. Isla Gordon and her family are based on Jeanie and her family, so it only makes sense that the LA Lakers would get their own fictional version in the form of the Los Angeles Waves. On paper, the Waves remains a fictional team with elements borrowed from the Lakers to give it a sense of authenticity.
There is a real basketball team named Waves, and the similarities between it and Waves in the show have landed the creators of the show in legal trouble. The real-life team is named the Pepperdine Waves and is a college basketball team representing Pepperdine University, which has sued Netflix & Warner Bros in a case of trademark infringement. In a statement from the university, the show has been accused of “misappropriation of the university’s brand,” as they have noted that the fictional Waves in the show bears “a striking resemblance in branding to Pepperdine’s longstanding and well-known Waves athletics program.”
The team’s name, logo, and colors have been listed as the commonalities between the two teams. The lawsuit also mentions “deep concerns about some of the series’ [explicit] themes” that are “inconsistent with Pepperdine’s Christian values and reputation.” As for Netflix, Warner Bros., and the creators of the show, no statement has been made to confirm or deny whether they really based elements of the fictional Waves on the real-life Waves team. So far, Isla Gordon’s LA Waves remains a fictional team loosely inspired by the Lakers.
The Lakers’ Real Home Court Sits in for the Fictional Copilot Arena
Since basketball is such an important part of the story, the Waves’ playing field becomes an important location in the show. We see the Copilot Arena as the home venue of the LA Waves. However, the keen eyes of basketball fans, especially the Lakers fans, will recognize the location of the show as the Crypto.com Arena. It opened its doors in October 1999 and, since then, has established itself as a major location for games and concerts. Currently, it serves as the home of three professional sports franchises: the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
Located at 1111 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, its grand premises can seat more than 19,000 people for basketball and around 20,000 for concerts. It also hosts other sporting events, including ice hockey. Since its opening, it has been a frequent location for the presentation of the Grammy awards and is also one of the major locations set to be employed for the 2028 Summer Olympics, which are to be held in LA. The Netflix series used parts of the arena to showcase the exciting and decisive games featuring the fictional Waves, adding another layer of authenticity to itself.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s Running Point Filmed?
