Ray Romano Joins Netflix’s "Running Point" Season 2 in Recasting
by Nellie Andreeva
October 28, 2025


Emmy winner Ray Romano has been tapped for a major recurring role opposite Kate Hudson on the upcoming second season of Netflix‘s basketball comedy series "Running Point".

He will play coach Norm Stinson, a basketball savant-turned-social recluse who will team with Isla (Hudson) to re-discover his love for the game, and life. He replaces Robert Townsend who was originally cast in the role.

The Norm character has been reconceived, with reshoots currently underway.

https://deadline.com/2025/10/ray-romano-cast-running-point-season-2-netflix-recasting-1236600481/

Ray Romano Based his Last-Minute "Running Point" Coach Performance on Gregg Popovich
by Glenn Garner
April 25, 2026


As Ray Romano joined "Running Point" in its sophomore season, he looked to an NBA staple for inspiration with his performance.

The 2x Golden Globe nominee revealed that he based his Season 2 performance as the Los Angeles Waves’ Head Coach Norm Stinson on San Antonio Spurs president and former coach Gregg Popovich, following his last-minute casting.

Popovich was head coach of the San Antonio Spurs for 29 seasons from 1996 to 2025, including five NBA championship victories, before transitioning to president of basketball operations for the team.




“I got the offer and I had to come in next week,” he explained to People. “And I usually do a little bit of an actory thing and do a little backstory, but I didn’t really have the time.”

“I thought what NBA [should I look to] … Well, first of all, the script was explaining who the guy was. And then I like … Who can I emulate? And the guy I thought of was [Gregg] Popovich. Yeah. I think if I ever was a coach, I would be close to him. I’m close to his age and I just like his demeanor and all that.”

“That was the base. And then we let it go from there.”

https://deadline.com/2026/04/ray-romano-based-running-point-coach-gregg-popovich-1236871625/