Mother's Day Sunday marked the season finale of the new HBO drama series "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," in which Old Bridge native Jon Young made his debut in.

He joined the potent ensemble as No. 14 backup guard, Brad Holland.

Mother's Day for some, however, weighs on the heart, like Young, whose mother died of cancer about seven years ago while he played on the Rutgers University baseball team. Nevertheless, there was reason for Young to celebrate his success on Mother's Day.

He said the moment that hit him was when he first interacted with some notable actors.

"We were filming episode 4, and there's a basketball sequence. We're in training camp and there's a scene where, literally, the entire stand is filled with John C. Reilly, Adrian Brody, Jason Clarke... like these big-time people 'cause I hadn't worked with them yet," Young recalled.

But he almost didn't get the chance to star in the series.

Young landed the gig about 2 1/2 years ago, but then coronavirus upended the industry, and the job was gone. Nevertheless, Young remained hopeful.

"Two years later I get a call from my agent, and she's like, 'Yeah, [so] HBO called and you're on the series and you're a series regular, so be prepared to be in like a ton of the episodes,' and I was like, 'alright!'" Young said.

He's faced adversity in life. When Young was in high school, he his father died from heart disease. When his mother died, Young was finishing his baseball career at Rutgers.

He knew when he graduated, he needed a steady job.

"I'm kind of on my own here. I've got my brother, but I kind of really need to step up and take care of myself," he said.

But as a project manager for a construction company, Young wanted more.

He took acting classes in New York at night. He then headed to Los Angeles.

He says his old school parents would not have understood that decision.

"There's no chance they would've approved of it. There's no chance of that. I don't think I would've felt such an impulse to go out and do something wild and crazy that most people will tell you you're crazy for trying," Young says.

Still, seeing him on HBO, he knows his parents would be proud.

"Winning Time" has been picked up for season 2.

Young is now just waiting to hear what's next.