It was worth the wait.
The Knicks’ 2010 pitch video to LeBron James has finally been unearthed, and it features The Sopranos, Trump, and The Post.
Former ESP player Pablo Torre obtained video from the Knicks’ meeting with James and camp in Cleveland and revealed some of it on the latest episode of his podcast, “Discovering Pablo Torre.”
James Gandolfini and Edie Falco reprise their iconic roles as Tony and Carmela Soprano, lending credence to the theory that Tony played the role. do not have The series finale famously caused the screen to go black.
The scene begins with a screen that reads “Two Years Later (Somewhere in New York)” and shows Tony reading the June 17, 2010 issue of the Post, with the back page headline “ROAD RUNNERS” spotlights the Mets’ victory over Cleveland. The night before.
Carmela says she’s glad they moved to New York and their life is much better now.
The rest of the exchange is as follows:
Tony Soprano: “Yeah, Calm, life is good here, even if we’re in the witness protection program.”
Carmela Soprano: “Now we just have to find a place for your friend LeBron to live. What about him?”
TS: “He is a modern person, but he respects tradition.”
CS: “Maybe we can do something classy on the east side.”
TS: “Is it big enough?” He will entertain a lot of people in New York. ”
CS: “It’s very expensive.”
TS: “Oh, that’s fine. But you have to find something great, something comparable in the world, something unique like him.”
CS: “This is the place. It’s said to be very noisy there. Look.”
(Carmella pulled out a photo of MSG during a Knicks game.)
“Oh yeah. Yes, that’s it. That would be perfect for him.”
Tony then sticks his tongue out at the camera as Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement” plays, and the screen cuts to the phrase “City of Winners.”
Ironically, as Torre pointed out with guests Jason Concepcion and Rob Perez, just before his meeting with Knicks leaders, James and his camp spoke with then-Nets co-owner Jay-Z. We had just had a meeting.
According to Torre, the scene was shot in Gandolfini’s actual Manhattan apartment, and Gandolfini was “really obsessed with it.”
The video then cuts to Donald Trump speaking in New York saying, “We want the real winners of the world.”
The rest of the video, in order of appearance, is: Richard Parsons, Reggie Jackson. Rudy Giuliani; Chris Rock. Earl of Monroe. Mark Messier; Mike Bloomberg. Robert De Niro. Harvey Weinstein. Thelma Golden. Alec Baldwin. Spike Lee. Willis Reed; Bill Bradley and Walt Frazier.
LeBron James Knicks’ No. 6 jersey was shown being unfurled from the rafters in a garden, as if to indicate that it will someday be retired.
“We tried to get him into a New York-like state of mind,” then-Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said after the meeting. “Hopefully. I’m cautiously optimistic.”
Of course, James chose to sign with the Heat during the infamous July 8, 2010 TV special, “The Decision.”
He won two championships in four years with Miami, returned to Cleveland, won a ring with the Cavaliers in 2016, and is currently in his sixth season with the Lakers, winning a title in 2020.
