Back in 2010, NBA superstar LeBron James decided to take his talents from Cleveland to South Beach. But not before multiple teams met with him in free agency.
That list included the New York Knicks.
Well, guess what? Ex-ESPN writer/personality Pablo Torre obtained the video of the Knicks' meeting with James and his representatives in Cleveland — yes, back in 2010 — and revealed some of it on the latest episode of his Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast.
Turns out, it was entirely themed after the wildly popular HBO series The Sopranos, of which James was a known fan at the time.
Per the New York Post:
"It features James Gandolfini and Edie Falco reprising their iconic roles as Tony and Carmella Soprano — and gives credence to the theory that Tony did not die when the screen famously cut to black in the series finale.
"The scene begins with a screen that says 'Two Years Later (Somewhere in New York)' and shows Tony reading the June 17, 2010 edition of The Post, with the back page headline 'ROAD RUNNERS' spotlighting the Mets' win over Cleveland the night before."
EXCLUSIVE: We found the secret tape the Knicks made to recruit LeBron.
It's a Sopranos reunion ... and so much more.
Watch our reveal with @PabloTorre, @netw3rk and @WorldWideWob: https://t.co/DJ9erPKdji pic.twitter.com/W0QCYMV8en
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) April 16, 2024
That's when Tony's wife says she is so glad the couple moved to New York.
The rest of the exchange goes like this ...
Tony Soprano: "Yeah, life's good here Carm, even if we are in the witness protection program."
Carmella Soprano: "Now we've just got to find a place for your friend LeBron to live. What's he like?"
TS: "He's a modern guy, but he respects tradition."
CS: "Could do something classy on the east side."
TS: "Is it big enough? He's gonna be entertaining a lot of people in New York."
CS: "It's very expensive."
TS: "Oh, that's not gonna be a problem. But you've gotta find something magnificent, something that there's nothing in the world like it, one of a kind like he is."
CS: "Here's a place. It says it gets really loud there. Take a look."
(Carmella pulls up a photo showing MSG during a Knicks game.)
"Oh yeah. Yeah, that's it. That's gonna be perfect for him."
None of this worked, of course. James eventually chose the Miami Heat, then went back to the Cavaliers, and is now with the Los Angeles Lakers. So he had multiple chances to choose the Knicks and never did.
But it just goes to show the silly lengths teams will go to — including hiring actors — to try to win over sports stars.
James' decision came via a one-hour television special called "The Decision," where he announced his move to the Heat — leaving many fans and basketball analysts stunned. It was a significant moment in NBA history, sparking intense debate and discussion about player agency, loyalty, and the nature of free agency in professional sports.
