Running Point, The Real Isla Gordon

Running Point, The Real Isla Gordon

From Characters by Cloud10

May 8, 2026 · 17 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the real-life inspiration behind the character Isla Gordon from Netflix's Running Point, focusing on Jeannie Buss and her influence in the basketball world.

I'm loving Netflix's Running Point , which just aired its second season. Kate Hudson stars as Isla Gordon, the president of her family's professional basketball team. We're talking today about the real woman who inspired the character of Isla - Jeannie Buss, former president of her family's organization, the Los Angeles Lakers. We're overviewing the parts of Jeannie's life that loosely inspire the show, and what she has said about serving as Executive Producer on this Netflix show. We're also getting into what I think makes this show so great - the humor, the family dynamic, and the representation of an unapologetic woman in charge. Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 01:21 Jeannie Buss, re: Isla Gordon 05:13 Isla Gordon, flawed characters 06:52 Sibling dynamic 08:41 Relationship with media 09:01 Engagement storyline 10:29 Humor 11:26 Friendship with Ali Lee (Brenda Song) 12:16 We need more Islas 13:09 Favorite characters - Links mention: ESPN, 2017: How did the Lakers get here? The inside story of the Buss drama Netflix, 2025: How to Run an NBA Team: Meet Running Point’s Real-Life Inspiration, Jeanie Buss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…

People in this episode

Host: Laura

Topics covered

  • Netflix series
  • basketball
  • female leadership
  • family dynamics
  • media representation

Keywords

  • Running Point
  • Isla Gordon
  • Jeannie Buss
  • Kate Hudson
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • female empowerment
  • basketball leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Los Angeles Lakers, Netflix, ESPN

Books & works: Running Point

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