When the Emmy nominations were announced, “Winning Time” director and executive producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield made history as the first Black woman to be recognized in the drama directing category. Such a monumental achievement could be tempered by the show’s cancellation in September 2023 (the same day as the Season 2 finale, which she also directed).

But Richardson-Whitfield says she's been too busy with other events in the 10 months since then to dwell on the accolades she's earned for her work on the HBO series, let alone the fact that it would make history.

"This wasn't even on my radar," she tells Variety. "Our show had been canceled, so when I got the call, I was on the set of 'Task,' my show that I'm filming right now."

As an actress, Richardson-Whitfield worked in film and television for 20 years before stepping behind the camera. Since 2011, she’s steadily built a resume that spans comedy, drama, action, fantasy and more. The series’ fact-based, metatextual dramatization of the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers not only taps into nearly every aspect of that ever-expanding skill set, it also established her as the most valuable collaborator on any project she works on: in the parlance of “Winning Time,” a utility player.