04 February 2024 , 02:00
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In a unique attempt to sign LeBron James at the peak of his NBA powers, the New York Knicks enlisted James Gandolfini to reprise his iconic role from "The Sopranos" for a mini episode.
The legendary HBO series had ended in 2007, but three years later, the late actor's desire to see the forward play in New York was still strong. Amid competition for the then-free agent, Gandolfini pulled out all the stops to lure "The King" to Madison Square Garden.
Gandolfini reprised his famous role as mafia boss Tony Soprano, even joined by on-screen wife Edie Falco, who thought the concept was a prank before participating. The star-studded short film, never officially released to the public, was produced by Rocco Caruso in hopes of attracting James.
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However, as revealed in The Athletic's podcast series "Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak and the New York Knicks," the film didn't have the desired effect. Instead, James chose to join the Miami Heat, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers behind.
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Producer Caruso remembered how the short film started with an idea sent to Edie Falco, a star from The Sopranos. He shared: "They thought, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we could somehow start the piece with The Sopranos?' because it had just more or less ended and I said, 'I know Edie, ... I could send her an email,' and she said 'Great. I'll do it.'"
Edie Falco also looked back at the time when James Gandolfini, her co-star, surprisingly said yes to the video to help get LeBron James to New York. She was amazed that Gandolfini, who won lots of fans as Tony Soprano, decided to join in. She said: "I do remember doing it, and what is absolutely amazing to me is I didn't know who LeBron James was."
American actor James Gandolfini, as Tony Soprano, smokes a cigar while he stands in pool, in publicity still for the HBO cable TV series 'The Sopranos,' 1999. (Photo by Anthony Neste/Getty Images) (Photo by Anthony Neste/Getty Images)
"We got those requests all the time back then and Jim Gandolfini, he did nothing," she explained, still surprised that Gandolfini agreed. "Somehow he agreed to this thing, which I was shocked by. I thought it was a prank when someone said Jim's going to do it. And there we were, dressed as our characters. And I was thinking, 'This can't possibly be happening.'"
The short video was based on the idea of the Sopranos trying to find a home for James, eventually suggesting Madison Square Garden. Gandolfini, unlike his character in the award-winning series, had a heavy beard which added to the narrative of the film. The script was rewritten "around that."
Gandolfini's co-star Falco remembered him enjoying stepping back into his famous role. She recalled: "Here he was, dressed as Tony. ... He must have been a bigger basketball fan than I realized." James went on to achieve great success with the Heat after turning down the Knicks. Recently, the four-time NBA MVP reflected on that period.
Before competing against the squad he turned down at Madison Square Garden on February 3, in favour of the Los Angeles Lakers, he revealed that the Knicks were indeed a team he contemplated joining. He acknowledged: "During my free agency period in 2010, it was one of the teams that I looked at. So, I've had that thought in my career."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.