Celtics' Larry Bird steps up in Lakers' 'Winning Time': Meet the actor playing the NBA legend

The Los Angeles Lakers' nemesis Larry Bird is ready for his closeup in "Winning Time."

Last year's first season of the HBO drama featured the spectacular beginnings of the famed "Showtime" Lakers NBA team, which won the 1980 championship behind rookie sensation Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and legendary center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) ‒ while Bird (Sean Patrick Small) and his Boston Celtics stewed.

But Season 2 of "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" (Sunday, 9 EDT/PDT) features Laker stumbles and the Bird-led Celtic reemergence.

"Now it's like this is 'The Empire Strikes Back' chapter, and (stuff) is going to get real," says executive producer Max Borenstein. "The Lakers have to overcome their obstacles against the NBA's reigning dynasty, the Celtics and Larry Bird."

As Bird moves into prime "Winning Time" here's what to know about Small, the actor destined to step into the famous Converse shoes:

Small was born in 1992, the year Bird retired from the NBA with three NBA championships and three MVP awards. Still, people told the 6-foot-4 Small, a role player on the Los Altos High School basketball team in California's Bay Area, that he looked like Bird. Small even requested Bird's number 33 for his own jersey.

"I knew of Larry Bird, but not all his greatness," says Small, who spoke before the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike. "But I looked to him since I wasn't the fastest guy on the court, didn't jump the highest, shot threes and I could pass."

As an aspiring actor and screenwriter at the University of Southern California, Small's life changed after reading "When March Went Mad: The Game that Transformed Basketball." The book chronicles the immortal 1979 NCAA basketball final between Bird's Indiana State and Johnson's Michigan State, the first battle of the epic rivalry between the two future NBA superstars.

"Things took off from there," says Small, who bought the book rights and wrote a four-part series, pitching the project (starring himself as Bird, naturally) around Hollywood.

By the time Small heard about HBO's "Winning Time" in 2019, the adversarial role of Bird had already been cast with Bo Burnham.

"I was like, 'Darn,' but I got it. they were going for a big name," says Small. "But I was definitely going to watch it."

Two years later, Small was at the Los Angeles airport, about to surprise his Denver-based sister, when he got word from a family industry friend about a new Bird audition for "Winning Time," after the show had been delayed due to the pandemic.

"I thought, 'But they already had Larry Bird,' " Small recalls thinking. Turns out, Burnham had to drop the role due to scheduling conflicts. After a flurry of calls (and later Zoom meetings), Small submitted a taped Bird audition and nabbed the part.

"Two weeks later, I'm on the 'Winning Time' set thinking, 'Is this all actually happening?'" says Small. "It was so crazy."

Small needed a Larry Bird wig and mustache to 'seal the deal'

Even more surreal was seeing his final transformation, with the Bird wig and memorable cookie-duster mustache. "After getting up from the makeup chair, even I was convinced," says Small. "The bowl cut and the 'stache just seal the deal."

Bird saw playing time and memorable trash-talking moments last season. But Small had to completely reconstruct his shooting style for the enhanced Season 2 game time. Working over months with "Winning Time" performance coach Idan Ravin, he perfected Bird's signature overhead shot release.

"Now I even shoot better like Bird," says Small, who shot many of the clutch buckets shown onscreen. "There was no CGI needed on my shooting."

Capturing and keeping Bird's intensity was as difficult as the playing style for the easygoing Small. "It's about getting the energy up, but then just bottling it up in your gut. And that's where it stays," he says.

Isaiah has been impressed with his onscreen opponent, who allows the transformative Magic-Bird rivalry to be brought to life in "Winning Time."

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"Patrick brings the intensity," says Isaiah. "He really allows us to craft this relationship."

The "Winning Time" season even allows a third-episode deep dive into Birds' life growing up in French Lick, Indiana, alluding to the hardships, like the death by suicide of his father, which shaped his persona. The episode could garner a little understanding from Lakers fans who rooted passionately against Bird through three epic finals against Johnson, in 1984, 1985 and 1987.

"Lakers' fans might even start to root for Bird after Episode 3, but they'll switch right back when the finals airs," says Small. "But we do like to break some hearts."

It's tough going for Lakers nation in this "Winning Time" season, which opens with the 1984 NBA Finals (spoiler alert: the Celtics won). But there is still plenty of Laker domination, and history dictates revenge in future seasons, although Season 3 has not been confirmed. Small is ready to return and is still pitching his Bird-Magic miniseries.

"And then that will be it for me, Larry Bird-wise," Small vows. He still wants to meet the actual Hall of Famer in person. But Small knows the retired and private Bird, like many Laker luminaries depicted in "Winning Time," wouldn't participate in the unauthorized series.

"So I don't poke the bear," says Small. "But hopefully, if he ever wants to reach out, I'll grab a beer with him whenever he wants."