Arcs fall a little flat as the series underscores themes of home and belonging.
83 loss, Jerry West has taken over as GM for Bill Sharman. He tells us about thisin the draft. He gets to do more scouting/trading, wheeling and dealing stuff with this new jo
b development, and that seems to be West’s happy place. But it sends our pal Nixon to a sad place: San Diego. Clippers owner Donald Sterling demanded a starter in exchange for Byron Scott, and so Nixon was traded—on his birthday. They have a party for him at The Forum, where he gets to dance it up with his girl Debbie Allen , but sadly, our guy has to find a new home now. He mourns the memory of when he first stepped into the Lakers’ locker room, a place to which he won’t return.
Meanwhile, as Magic watches Nixon and Allen together, hecomes to realize that home, for him, is wherever he’s with Cookie. He surprises her at a conference in San Diego where he shows up mid-interview to help her impress some fashion- industry guys she wants to work for, after which she agrees to grant him one more chance. By the end of the episode, he has proposed to Cookie, and it’s all pretty nice for them. I mean, we know they’re still together. She wrote that book. There will be further drama between them, probably soon, but their future together is established at least; they’re officially “playing house.”not home much, always worrying about the team.
ood ol’ Buss never filed the divorce paperwork from his previous marriage, meaning theirs was never legal. So she walks out on him—actually, she insists she’s “fucking running”but don’t feel too bad for her. Turns out she sucks. When Honey’s lawyer slaps him with a $100 million lawsuit as Buss is watching TV alone in the dark, cradling his top hatpiece, he explains, “Honey’s a reasonable woman. She’ll settle for Magic and Kareem.” Barf, again with treating these men like property.