Paul Westhead Had Kidney Stones in Winning Time, but It Is Based on Real Life?

Some of the stories of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty contradict the story of Showtime, a book authored by Jeff Pearlman, and Paul’s hospital visit is one among them.

In the 8th episode of Winning Time, Westhead got hospitalized due to a kidney stone. However, Showtime did not mention those incidents; instead, Jack McKinney was the one who got admitted to the hospital due to a severe bicycle injury. 

However, it seems to be based on a real-life event, as the coach had to go through surgery to get his kidney stone removed during the early 1980s. With the treatment, he did recover from the kidney infection. Yet he later got fired from the Lakers due to his disputes with Magic Johnson.

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