Newton Mayenge has been cast to play NBA Legend, Jim Chones, in Adam Mckay’s Los Angeles Lakers HBO drama series; based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. McKay’s Hyperobject Industries is producing.
Written by Max Borenstein, The Untitled Lakers Project is a series chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of basketball’s most impactful dynasties, which changed the face of basketball forever.
Borenstein executive produces the series with McKay and Kevin Messick for Hyperobject Industries. Jim Hecht is co-writer of the story and executive produces along with Jason Shuman, Scott Stephens and Rodney Barnes.
Newton Mayenge (Jim Chones) joins a cast that includes John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss, Sally Field as Jessie Buss, Jason Segel as Paul Westhead, Michael Chiklis as Red Auerbach, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tracy Letts as Jack McKinney, Gaby Hoffmann as Claire Rothman, Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss, DeVaughn Nixon as Norm Nixon, Molly Gordon as Linda Zafrani, Rob Morgan as Earvin Johnson Sr., Spencer Garrett as Chick Hearn, Kirk Bovill as Donald Sterling, Delante Desouza as Michael Cooper, Stephen Adly Guirgis as Frank Mariani, Tamera Tomakili as Earletha “Cookie” Kelly and Joey Brooks as Lon Rosen, and many more.
Mayenge’s Jim Chones played for Marquette University and was the second player in NCAA history to leave college early for the draft, leaving after his junior year. He played for the New York Nets in 1972 and was an ABA All Rookie First Team Selection. In 1975, he moved to the NBA, where he played five seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He would then go to the Los Angeles Lakers winning a Championship in 1980 with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Newton Mayenge was born on June 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The youngest of four children; his parents are of African descent from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Formerly Zaire). He speaks fluent Lingala and has a basic proficiency in French. While he is not an only child, because of the age difference, his siblings were in college during his formative years. With a passion for basketball, he played all through his younger years and received scholarships and played in college. After graduating from the University of North Carolina with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and African-American Studies, he played professional basketball in Germany. After a car crash ended his dreams of playing in the NBA, he turned to his next love, performing. Since then, he has been seen on fashion show runways in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Palm Springs. He has also been on book covers and in various films. Soon to be marrying the love of his life, Whitney Bowers -who is an actress and also produces The League Talk Show, Hosted by Mayenge. You can follow them both on Instagram, @NewtonMayenge and @MsWhitneyBowers
Mayenge is managed by Tanesia Tramell at Eleven 7 Artist Management and Keith L. Craig. He is repped by Cindy Schoonover at Eris Talent Agency.
