'Winning Time': Who Is Ari Graynor's Character Honey Kaplan Based On?

In this week’s edition of “What’s True and What’s Not About Max’s Winning Time,” our focus is on Honey Kaplan, the character portrayed by actress Ari Graynor. Before delving into the intricacies of the Buss family, however, let’s address the week’s NBA storyline: Jerry Buss fired Paul Westhead after Magic Johnson threatened to leave the team if Westhead stayed on.

Much of this unfolded just as shown, with a few dramatic liberties. Particularly noteworthy was the press conference where Jerry Buss announced Westhead’s departure and gave a vague answer about his successor. Initially, Buss intended for Jerry West to handle the offense and Pat Riley to take charge of the defense—a plan that proved impractical. West declined the coaching role, quietly deferring to Riley during the press conference. Eventually, Riley assumed complete control and remained at the helm throughout the Lakers’ Showtime era of the 1980s. Interestingly, Riley resigned as Lakers’ coach after the 1989-90 season, the first year he was named NBA Coach of the Year.

Winning Time has found much of its dramatic tension in the early coaching shifts of the Showtime era. It’ll be intriguing to see how the series portrays the Lakers under Riley’s stable leadership for nearly a decade. On the subject of stability, not much is known about Chris Riley—the intensely private wife of Pat, played by Gillian Jacobs. However, it’s worth noting that the couple has been married for over 50 years.

Now, back to Honey Kaplan, who becomes Jerry Buss’s spouse in this episode of Winning Time. As the Showtime Lakers ascend to dominance, the series might be tempted to seek drama in Buss’s family life—arguably a less interesting avenue. While Jeannie Buss provides sporadic interest, her story’s true drama doesn’t surface until her father’s death in 2013. The supposed rivalry between Honey Kaplan and Jeannie unfortunately lacks compelling stakes.

For the record, Honey Kaplan is largely inspired by Puppi Buss. Despite her name, Puppi never officially married Jerry Buss. Her legal name was Marsha Lee Osborne. In 1987, she filed a $25 million palimony suit against Buss, which was eventually settled. The suit claimed they acted like a married couple from 1970 to 1986, a period during which both were also married to other people.

Puppi Buss was just 19 when she met Jerry Buss in a hotel elevator in 1969—the same year he divorced his first wife. He married his second wife in 1972, and they stayed together until 1983. Throughout these years, Puppi was so close to Jerry that she adopted his last name, and lived in a house that he bought her. According to the LA Times:

Puppi Buss … took Buss’s name at his request, traveled with him, lived with him in homes he owned, cared for him when he was ill, and portrayed herself as his wife through most of their years together. Buss, she said, dubbed her “Puppi” as a sign of affection.

Jerry Buss also had a prolonged affair with another woman, Karen Demel, during the ’80s. Demel later sued him for palimony as well. She and Buss had two children, Joey and Jesse Buss. Her palimony suit was likewise settled out of court. Buss clearly had a complicated personal life that included multiple relationships and a large extended family (including six kids, all of whom had names beginning in J: Jim, Johnny, Joey, Jesse, Jeannie, and Janie). Despite this, or perhaps because of it, he was known for being a charismatic and caring individual, qualities that extended both to his personal relationships and his stewardship of the Lakers, which is evident in Winning Time.