In 2010, LeBron James became the most coveted free agent in NBA history to actually put his services on the open market. James rather famously allowed teams to try and recruit him as he was searching for the opportunity to win the first championship of his career.
Staying home in Cleveland was certainly on the table, but Miami, Chicago, and New York all loomed as significant suitors for James. The Knicks, many thought, were a frontrunner for LeBron, hoping he would finally be the superstar that chose New York. He ultimately chose to join the Miami Heat, winning two titles in four years, but the Knicks were unquestionably in play, as he and Dwyane Wade considered joining forces in the Garden.
In the 14 years since that summer, there have been rumors and rumblings about a pitch video the Knicks made for LeBron that featured a reunion from The Sopranos for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, along with other New York luminaries trying to convince James to join the Knicks. Finally, that video has been found thanks to Pablo Torre on his show, Pablo Torre Finds Out, and he had Knicks fans Jason Concepcion and Rob Perez watch it with him in a very funny episode that can be viewed in full above.
The part most people will want to see is the Sopranos portion, which they clipped for Twitter and features Tony and Carmela in witness protection in New York City, trying to find Tony’s friend LeBron a new place.
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
This is, believe it or not, the high point of the pitch video, which has aged like milk with the likes of Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, and Rudy Giuliani all pitching LeBron on how great New York is. Spike Lee, Willis Reed, and Clyde Frazier don’t show up until close to the end of the 10-minute long video, and much of it looks like a mediocre New York Tourism advertisement rather than a star-studded free agency pitch. It’s a truly unbelievable video and LeBron choosing not to join the Knicks makes even more sense after watching it.