It’s been 14 years since the most famous free agent class in NBA history. But while there has been plenty of reporting focused on that summer — and in particular, the New York Knicks’ failed pursuit of LeBron James — it wasn’t until Tuesday that one of its most intriguing artifacts was uncovered.
On the latest episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, the show’s host dissected the long-rumored video that the Knicks used to pitch James on coming to New York. And all things considered, the video is as good — or bad — as advertised, beginning with James Gandolfini and Edie Falco reprising their roles as Tony and Carmella Soprano for an epilogue of sorts, three years after The Sopranos aired its polarizing series finale.
To say that Gandolfini and Falco weren’t exactly in Emmy-winning form would be an understatement. See it for yourself.
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
How did this poorly written — and frankly, poorly acted — sketch not result in James playing for the Knicks? Well as it turns out, the video only got worse from here and featured cameos from several former New York athletes, as well as the likes of Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Harvey Weinstein.
You can watch each clip, as well as breakdowns from Torre and guests Jason Concepcion and Rob Perez here.
James, of course, would not be moved by the Knicks’ recruiting pitch — at least not in a way that resulted in him landing in New York. While it may be a distant memory now, there was actually a point when the Knicks were considered by many to be the frontrunners to land James, who proceeded to sign with the Miami Heat.
Having now seen the video package the Knicks used to spearhead their recruiting efforts, perhaps we now know why New York was unable to land arguably the biggest free agent in sports history. In a twist of fate, the Knicks’ current president, Leon Rose, was James’ agent at the time, which means that he was also in the room for what was undoubtedly one of the franchise’s lowest moments.
