Will Isla Lose Her Job After The Running Point Finale?

Throughout Running Point Season 1, Kate Hudson’s Isla Gordon proves she has what it takes to helm the Los Angeles Waves — or, at least, is on her way to figuring it out.

But in the final moments of the new comedy’s debut season, a few twists threaten to deflate Isla’s newfound career groove. So, will Isla lose her job after Running Point Season 1? Here’s how the career of Jeanie Buss (the Lakers president who inspired the show) may answer that big cliffhanger.

A Last-Minute Loss

In Episode 10, the Waves narrowly lose their playoff game after an unexpected buzzer-beater by Portland. This means despite excellent momentum, Isla’s first season with the Waves won’t end with a championship. “My life is not a good sports movie,” she monologues. “In a good sports movie, the heroine — who was underestimated, punched in the face — would have won the big game.”

Furthermore, with things in a rocky place with her fiancé, Lev (Max Greenfield), Isla shares a kiss with Jay (Jay Ellis), the Waves coach.

Walking into her office the next day, she’s surprised to find her brother, Cam (Justin Theroux) out of rehab and ready to take back the top job.

It’s revealed earlier in the season that he’s been planting rumors about his sister to call her leadership into question. In fact, he seems pretty upset that the Waves are doing well under Isla, suggesting he planned for his sister (and team) to fail all along.

Isla’s IRL Inspiration

Running Point is a fictional series, though it does borrow inspiration from Buss and her family. For example, Buss — who was appointed controlling owner of the Lakers following her father’s death in 2013 — recently opened up to Time about how she and her brother, Jim Buss, disagreed about their vision for the team.

“The way my brother saw things was that he wanted the team to go through a losing phase so that we could amass draft picks and cap space and then build the team that way,” she said.

This perspective could help inform Cam’s motivations, should Running Point return for Season 2. But if the show follows Buss’ real-life history, Isla’s job is safe. Though Buss once filed a restraining order to stop a perceived coup on her leadership, she’s remained president and the team's controlling owner per her father’s trust.

She also told Time she and Jim are on good terms today.

As for the Waves losing? Well, that’s OK: The Lakers didn’t win the top prize right away. But when they did in 2020, Buss became the first female controlling owner to lead her team to an NBA championship.