The New York Knicks took a huge swing at attempting to lure LeBron James to town back in 2010 when James was a free agent. On Tuesday’s episode of the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, Pablo Torre shared parts of the recruitment video, which featured characters from “The Sopranos” along with several high-profile celebrities with ties to the Big Apple.
In addition to James Gandolfini and Edie Falco returning to their respective characters from the show, future president Donald Trump, Chris Rock, Robert De Niro and Spike Lee all made cameos in the video.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, it was all for nothing as James ended up taking his talents to South Beach and playing with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as a member of the Miami Heat. James spent the next four seasons with the Heat and won two NBA titles.
James has since won two more championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Heading into the 2010 offseason, the Knicks were coming off of a 29-53 season under head coach Mike D’Antoni. If James had ended up calling New York home, it likely would’ve been an uphill battle.
Ironically enough, James could elect to test free agency in the near future since he has a player option on his deal for the 2024-25 season. The Knicks would have a better pitch this time around considering that they are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs this year.
