Diksha Sundriyal
A fictional version of the LA Lakers becomes the central plot point in Netflix’s ‘Running Point.’ The protagonist is Isla Gordon, who is put in charge of the team called the LA Waves following her brother’s sudden departure. Apart from taking care of the business end of things, she also has to take care of the players, all of whom present unique challenges of their own. The three major players who take most of Isla’s time are Marcus Winfield, Travis Bugg, and Dyson Gibbs, all of whom are necessary to get the win that the team desperately needs. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Waves Players Represent the Myriad of Real-Life Basketball Players
‘Running Point’ borrows elements from Jeanie Buss’ life, but a good amount of the story and characters are heavily fictionalized. The players of the LA Waves also fall in that category. The team is led by Marcus Winfield, who is the star player and also the most decorated one on the team, with two championship rings and Olympic golds. One could compare him to LeBron James, the star player of the LA Lakers, which served as the inspiration behind the Waves. However, apart from their professional achievements, Marcus and LeBron have little to nothing in common. If Marcus feels like an actual athlete, it’s because actor Toby Sandeman is a double gold medalist for Britain at the European Athletics U23 Championships. He brings the same athleticism and sensibility to his role, bringing a sense of gravity to Marcus.
In the same vein, we have Travis Buggs, who enjoys a rap career (though not as successful) in his own time. Actor Chet Hanks, who also has a career in rap under the name of Chet Haze, doesn’t share his character’s athletic background, but he was the type of actor that the creators of the show were looking for. In preparation for the series, Hanks trained for two months to learn the basics of basketball and portray his character more authentically.
Another major character who comes front and center in the Waves is Dyson Gibbs, who is brought in from the D-league by Isla Gordon, even when she faces flak over her decision. Dyson feels the pressure of his new position on different levels but eventually finds a way to carve his own space in the team. For actor Uche Agada, playing the role of a basketball player is nothing new. He was last seen in Disney+’s biopic ‘Rise,’ playing the Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Being a fan of the sport and already having experience with the character in a similar range allowed Agada to play Dyson with the required depth and vulnerability.
Jay Brown is Loosely Inspired by a Real Lakers Coach
One of the main characters in ‘Running Point’ is Jay Brown, the head coach of the Waves, who previously made a name in basketball by being a star player himself. The character exhibits minor similarities with the Lakers’ former coach, Phil Jackson, who enjoyed a celebrated career in basketball as both a player and a coach. He worked with the Lakers for more than a decade, during which time the team won five league titles. Another thing that Jay and Jackson have in common is their relationship with the team’s president. In the show, Jay and Isla develop an attraction for each other. In real life, Jackson and Jeanie Buss dated and were briefly engaged.
The show uses basic information about Jackson to lay the ground for Jay’s character, from which a unique character unto itself is built to fit into the show’s narrative. For actor Jay Ellis, slipping into the skin of the character was much easier, given his own history of playing basketball while he was at Concordia University in Portland. While playing the coach, who rarely, if ever, loses his cool, he thought about his own aims and ambitions as a player. He also thought about his former teammates to get into the same space of mind and present Jay Brown as a realistic coach and athlete.
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