‘Running Point’ Boss Explains How the L.A. Lakers Sale Impacted Season 2 and Why He’s Optimistic About a Season 3
David Stassen was already in a nonstop sprint when Running Point became Netflix’s newest hit series in the spring of 2025. Having locked season one of the Kate Hudson-led comedy well ahead of its Feb. 27 premiere, the showrunner then jumped over as a writer/EP on Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses’ HBO comedy, Rooster, starring Steve Carell. From there, he went straight to the promotional cycle and release of Running Point season one, before opening the season two writers room for a late summer 2025 shoot.
Loosely based on Jeanie Buss’ tenure as the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, Running Point season two continues to chronicle the ups and downs of Isla Gordon (Hudson) and the rest of her dysfunctional family’s ownership of the L.A. Waves. The Gordons may own a distinguished basketball franchise akin to the real-life Lakers, but their ownership group isn’t flush with cash like so many tech billionaire-owned sports franchises today. Season two requires Isla to solve never-ending financial obstacles while juggling her ever-complicated personal life.
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Stassen got to know Buss throughout the process of helming season one. She opened the doors to the Lakers’ facility and shared a variety of anecdotes, both personal and professional. Along with co-creators Mindy Kaling and Ike Barinholtz, he even sat courtside with Buss and her right hand, Linda Rambis, at a Lakers game on the day of season one’s release. Yet it was still quite a shock when Stassen and his team learned of the Buss family’s decision to sell their majority stake in the L.A. Lakers to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter eight months later. (The Buss family still owns 15-17 percent of the team, and Jeanie maintains her role as team governor.)
At the time of the sale, the Running Point writers room happened to be in the middle of breaking a season two episode where the Gordon family weighs the ramifications if one of them, or their spouse, were to sell their shares in the team.
“The [Lakers] sale was surprising. The news broke, and it felt like kismet that we were already doing something in similar territory,” Stassen tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It helped us. It motivated us. We got to shape the story in an even more fun and possibly stakes-ier way.”
Stassen may rub elbows with Lakers royalty every so often, but the native Chicagoan still bleeds Chicago Bulls red. Fans of the Bulls will undoubtedly recognize a climactic moment in Running Point season two, but another subplot involving Waves’ captain, Marcus Winfield, and rising star, Dyson Gibbs, was surprisingly not inspired by one of the few blemishes of the Bulls’ 1990s dynasty.
In game three of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Bulls and the New York Knicks, Bulls All-Star Scottie Pippen — who led the team to 55 regular season wins while Michael Jordan was off playing minor league baseball — refused to reenter the game with 1.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Head coach Phil Jackson had designed the eventual game-winning shot for rookie Toni Kukoč instead of Pippen, resulting in his regrettable protest. Running Point‘s Winfield and Gibbs have their own drama regarding a last-second shot in season two, but Stassen doesn’t recall being directly inspired by Pippen and Kukoč.
“It must have been in the back of our minds, but I don’t remember if it was specifically an ode to Scottie and Toni with 1.8 left on the clock against the Knicks,” Stassen says. “It’s certainly not the only time in history that two players have wanted the last shot. But that’s where the combination of being a comedy writer and a basketball fan is so incredible. I get to write from experiences that I really enjoyed as a fan.”
Stassen is getting ready to reopen Running Point’s writers room in the event of a season three renewal. Besides being a vote of confidence, this practice is a cost-effective way for networks and streamers to get the ball rolling before the larger financial decision has to be made. It also allows shows to retain their top personnel for the time being. “Netflix hasn’t officially picked up season three yet, but everyone is optimistic,” Stassen shares. “Season one did very well, and Netflix has already shown a lot of faith by ordering the writers room for a potential season three. So everyone is feeling good.”
Below in conversation with THR, Stassen also discusses why he’s glad the series opted not to use the Los Angeles Lakers iconography. Then he throws cold water on the claim that Netflix asks its creatives to write for a passive audience.
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Fans of the Utah Jazz are going to be highly triggered by the end of Running Point season two. Have you prepared yourself for the possibility that you’ll receive some strongly worded letters?
(Laughs.) I have not prepared myself. That is a fun Easter egg that we put in there, and I’m not surprised you picked up on it. But if I do get some angry reactions, it would mean that people are watching very closely.
For a show loosely based on Jeanie Buss’ tenure atop the L.A. Lakers organization, I want to revisit the decision to fictionalize the show’s basketball team. I was so convinced that the choice was made to avoid the controversy that Winning Time endured. There were in fact talks with the NBA about using the Lakers iconography. But by the time Netflix had the ability to make a deal, you’d already written half the series around the Los Angeles Waves. Do you still not regret the fictional direction you took?
No regrets. It went back and forth: Is it going to be the Lakers or not? It would’ve been fun if it had been, but creatively and comedically, we get to have a little more leeway. We get to build our world the way we see it without a lot of the preconceived notions that NBA fans would bring to a show about the Lakers.
I never contemplated this during season one, but by fictionalizing the team, you’re unable to directly reference Michael Jordan or any other NBA great because the NBA doesn’t exist in the show’s universe. Former NBA player Jalen Rose appeared in season one as somebody named “Greg Jackson.” Have there been instances where you’ve had to painfully let go of the perfect NBA joke or reference?
First of all, you’re exactly right. We are very strict about not making NBA references. If we think of a good Charles Barkley reference — or a reference to Michael Jordan being poisoned by a pizza place in Salt Lake City — we just won’t do it. But we’ve trained ourselves so much during the course of the writers rooms that we don’t have to do that a lot.
Usually, we’ll talk blue sky: “Oh, it will be like Kobe’s last game when he scored 60. It will be like when Shaq’s dunk tore down the basket.” But we know it’s just inferred and that we’re going to make it our own. Marcus Winfield is an amalgamation of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James — just like Coach Jay Brown [Jay Ellis] is a mix of a lot of wise, cool NBA coaches. But it’s never a one for one.
So I really can’t think of an NBA joke that we were sad to lose. The crazy thing about comedy writing is you do end up cutting some great jokes. You’ll cut jokes that had the whole writers room crying in tears from laughter, and then you can’t even remember the joke a few months later.
You spent a fair amount of time with Jeanie Buss during the writing and release of the show. You, Ike Bartinholtz and Mindy Kaling even sat courtside with her and Linda Rambis at a Lakers game. Were you surprised that she and the rest of her family sold the majority of the team?
The sale was surprising. The day we heard about it, we were breaking episode five of season two, which is all about a prenup between a Gordon family member and a non-Gordon family member. So we were having the conversation in the room about what it means to own a team and give part of it away — and how that changes the power dynamics in the boardroom. Then the news broke, and it felt like kismet that we were already doing something in similar territory. It helped us. It motivated us. We got to shape the story in an even more fun and possibly stakes-ier way by knowing that these things do happen. But we still go to the games and see Jeanie and Linda there. So they’ll continue to sit courtside, and they’re still a part of the Lakers family and organization.
Season two is largely about power dynamics and money squabbles between players, co-workers, family members and friends. There’s even a strike episode. Do you think the 2023 strike had a lingering influence on season two’s financial storylines? Or is it just the nature of being a front office show?
I think it’s just the nature of the show and wanting to make our leading characters the underdogs despite being in charge of a very acclaimed franchise. The Waves are still a family business. Whereas in the real world, a lot of NBA franchises now have tech money and vast wealth within their ownership groups. But that’s not the case with the Waves, so it’s a great way to box our characters in and have them figure out how to get out of these tough situations.
Shortly before season one’s release, Pepperdine University took issue with the Waves logo, and a judge recently ruled in the show’s favor by dismissing the lawsuit. I did notice that the season two logo added Los Angeles, so was that meant to be a voluntary gesture of good faith?
I don’t think I should comment. I’m not sure if there’s ongoing litigation still. I’ll just say that we’re following the directions we get from Warner Bros. and Netflix, and we look forward to a resolution to the situation.
The Waves’ young hotshot, Dyson Gibbs (Uche Agada), steps on the toes of the team’s longtime star, Marcus Winfield (Toby Sandeman). Winfield specifically takes issue with a last-minute shot that is designed for Gibbs and not him. Was this story point inspired by Scottie Pippen’s infamous protest of Toni Kukoč receiving the Chicago Bulls’ last shot in game three of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals?
(Laughs.) You’re one of the only people who can remember as much, if not more, about the Bulls as I can. But I don’t think we ever brought that up in the room when we were breaking the story. It must have been in the back of our minds, but I don’t remember if it was specifically an ode to Scottie and Toni with 1.8 left on the clock against the Knicks. It’s certainly not the only time in history that two players have wanted the last shot. But that’s where the combination of being a comedy writer and a basketball fan is so incredible. I get to write from experiences that I really enjoyed as a fan.
You referenced the last name Kukoč toward the end of the season, so I figured he was already on your mind from that storyline.
We just needed to name an Eastern European player, and so it’s a little nod to Toni Kukoč. The Waves are going to scout a player named Marko Kukoč, and I combined Kukoč with a former Clipper point guard named Marko Jarić.
Ray Romano joins the show as the Waves’ new coach, Norm Stinson. Did you conceive him with the Van Gundys or Gregg Popovich in mind? Stan Van Gundy and Popovich both share a personal detail with Ray’s character.
No, we just wanted to go in a different direction from Jay Brown. This choice wasn’t real-world related. Norm Stinson is more of a traditional head coach and father figure who, unlike Jay, is not as cool as the players. He gets a little more ramped up with the refs. And by giving him that backstory, it challenges Isla to bring him out of his unhealthy ways and reinvigorate him.
You know Running Point is a Warner Bros. show because Isla (Hudson) has Dune-related fantasies. Was it fun to briefly spoof those visuals?
It was really fun. Our cinematographer, Marco Fargnoli, designed this incredible little set for us to pull that off. On the day, Jay [Ellis] and Kate [Hudson] were lying on a platform that was raised above the ground, and we gave them the little nose tubes they wear in the movies. There was some sand with a couple of really hot lights in the background, and looking through the monitors, I couldn’t believe how much it looked like Dune. So it was just a brilliant shot designed by Marco. Then we added the blue eyes in post.
Warners probably appreciates the synergy, but did you still have to go through a lengthy process to clear it?
Yeah, everything had to be cleared, but there actually wasn’t a lot of red tape with Dune. It took way more time to figure out what shots to use in season one when Isla was converting to Judaism. She was supposed to watch Jewish-themed shows, and we needed references that were also clearable. So it took so much time to find the right clips. She ended up watching the Sex and the City episode where Charlotte converts, and then Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Sandy (Drew Tarver) also references watching Andor, so your writers room clearly enjoys prestigious science fiction.
Yeah, we just love pop culture. We love great shows. It’s fun to fill in those little parts of your characters’ personalities so you understand what they’re doing in their free time. Dune feels like a movie Isla would love because it’s a big box office hit with Chalamet and Zendaya. But Sandy is the sci-fi geek of the family. He’s also into something like Andor, while really enjoying The Traitors at the same time, which his brothers secretly enjoy too.
There’s a flashback to Isla and Ali (Brenda Song) in college, and they happen to watch the Macaulay Culkin movie My Girl. Now that we know Macaulay exists in this universe, does that mean the angry Waves fan he played in season one is actually Macaulay Culkin himself?
That’s a good question. I don’t think he is Macaulay Culkin. I think he’s just a rabid Waves/Billie Eilish fan who happens to resemble the most famous child actor of all time. But he’s moved up in the world because he has much better seats in season two.
Your writing partner and best friend, Ike Barinholtz, was unable to appear in season one due to his role on The Studio. How did his part as Benny — the Gordons’ obnoxious cousin from Las Vegas — come to be?
We wanted to take a little bit of the shine off the Gordon family name. They grew up on the Westside of L.A., and they’ve had all the advantages and riches in the world. But every family has problems. Every family has that one family member who’s troubling. Every family has an annoying cousin who shows up unannounced or reaches out for an investment in their new venture. And like L.A., Vegas is a place where people go to chase their dreams, so Benny being from there just helps set the tone for when you hear he has multiple ventures he’s trying to get started. That just seemed like a fun curve ball to throw at these people.
Ike is also just so funny at playing desperate characters like Benny or Morgan Tookers on The Mindy Project. Morgan was always trying to status up and borrow money and get free food from people at the doctors’ offices. There’s a lot of panic in The Studio, but certainly within his incredible character, Sal Saperstein. So Ike was available, and he can also play basketball, so it was great to put him in 208’s basketball game. He’s the easiest person for me to write for, and he makes things so much better on the day as well.
Ike’s dad, Alan Barinholtz, also returns as the Gordon family lawyer. Are you pretty amazed that he’s managed to gain a new career in his 70s?
Growing up, Alan drove me to basketball games and took me night fishing on Lake Michigan. He was always so funny and so great to hang out with and just really quick on his feet. I also knew he had given up acting to go to law school when he started a family in the ‘70s, so I really was not that surprised. But I think everyone was shocked by what a huge hit Jury Duty became. It was so funny. So I always knew that Alan was funny as well, and he really hits a new level in season two as the family lawyer, Bernie.
I didn’t notice the Stassen family cameos in season one until I rewatched some of it to prep for season two. Your wife (Elisabeth Stassen) and daughter bump into Isla and Ali at a Sephora. Are there any Stassen cameos in season two?
If you look in the background of Rob Huebel’s character’s office — he plays the slimy sports agent Clint Binelli — you’ll see a picture of Clint and me. So Clint Binelli somehow knows Hollywood screenwriter David Stassen.
For my money, Scott MacArthur’s Ness is the funniest character on the show, and we discussed last year how there’s a little bit of Ike in his portrayal. And during one of my Pluribus interviews with Vince Gilligan, he randomly brought up how great Scott is from their time together on El Camino.
That’s awesome. I love Pluribus, and Scotty had a great time making El Camino with Vince. He says that when you’re in New Mexico, Vince Gilligan is like the unofficial governor of New Mexico. He can get whatever he wants in New Mexico.
That’s true. For Pluribus, they let him build an entire residential neighborhood from the ground up.
Wow, that’s cool.
Conan O’Brien cracked some jokes about Netflix at the Oscars. He perpetuated the longstanding rumor that they urge their writers to restate the plot more than usual for viewers who are passively watching. Has a comparable note ever made its way to you?
We have not been told to reinsert the plot later on in an episode. A lot of writers want to make sure the story works, so maybe we unconsciously repipe things here and there. But we’ve never been told in any way, shape or form, “Hey, people are looking at their phones, so make it dumber.” That doesn’t really happen. I feel like that’s a fear the industry has about itself.
Adam DiMarco appears in the season two premiere. He was just in another cool Netflix show called Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. Does Netflix ever encourage you to look at people that are already in their system such as Adam or even Scott Speedman?
No, they did not encourage either of those hires. We’re really lucky that things worked out with both those guys. We all loved Adam from The White Lotus, and Scott Speedman is an old friend of ours. Mindy, Ike and I have been trying to figure out a way to work with him, and this [hockey team co-owner] role felt like a great character for him to play on a few levels. But no, we’ve never been asked or encouraged to include anyone from the Netflix universe.
Running Point isn’t the only show you’re a part of right now. Zach Braff directed your episode of the Steve Carell-led Rooster that aired on March 22. Were you able to visit that set at all?
I was only able to go to set for one morning. We were already in the Running Point season two writers room when they started shooting Rooster. I did the Rooster writers room, then Running Point came out and I went straight to the Running Point season two room. So I did visit the Rooster set briefly for my episode, and the overall response has been incredible. I’m really happy for that writing staff and the crew because [co-creators] Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses built out a great world that feels very authentic. I feel like everyone loves going down memory lane, and that’s a little bit about what the show is.
Are you and Ike still writing other projects whenever there’s a window to do so?
We are, yeah. We’re working on a feature slowly but surely. Running Point keeps me occupied close to 12 months a year. And Ike is here as much as he can be in between The Studio and the movie offers he gets all the time. So we want to do more together, but right now, we just love being busy with the shows we have on the air.
Have you seen any of his performance as Elon Musk in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming movie, Artificial?
No, I’m dying for that trailer to come out. I check with him once a week to see if it has dropped.
Were you pretty shocked that he committed to that role?
It’s a good question because Ike is very selective. So he really had to think about it, but the opportunity to work with Luca and some incredible actors was just too enticing. [Writer’s Note: Barinholtz recently shared what Guadagnino said to ease his reservations about committing.]
Lastly, how confident are you feeling regarding Running Point season three?
Netflix hasn’t officially picked up season three yet, but everyone is optimistic. Season one did very well, and Netflix has already shown a lot of faith by ordering the writers room for a potential season three. So everyone is feeling good.
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Running Point season two premieres April 23.
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