Not even this mythic Sopranos reunion could court LeBron James to the Knicks

Set sometime after The Sopranos cut to black, this long-missing piece of Sopranos lore finally surfaces

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  April 17, 2024 | 1:19am
TV Features LeBron James
Not even this mythic Sopranos reunion could court LeBron James to the Knicks
James Gandolfini and Edie Falco Photo: HBO/Kobal/Shutterstock

Everyone has an opinion about the end of The Sopranos. Did Tony live, did he die, or did the cable go out? These questions have lingered over the last two decades since the show’s end, with none other than series creator David Chase offering a definitive answer to the question. But—and this is a big but—in 2010, while the New York Knicks were courting then-free agent LeBron James, James Gandolfini and Edie Falco reprised their roles for a one-time-only reunion shot in James Gandolfini’s actual New York apartment.

For years, fans of Sopranos have wondered where this extremely short coda to the series is. In 2021, Falco fanned the flames of internet sleuthing by mentioning the video on a podcast, saying she was “shocked” that Gandolifi agreed to make the video. She thought “it was a prank when someone said he was going to do it.” Nevertheless, the video shows a bearded Gandolfini playing the role of Tony, living out his days in a New York apartment while embedded in the witness protection program. Why witness protection would place a New Jersey mob boss in New York City is beyond us, but he and Carmella seem more than happy while looking for a place for Tony’s friend LeBron James to live. They land on Madison Square Garden, which is the perfect place for a grown man to reside.

The clip is an introduction to a longer video that features such New York luminaries as Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Alec Baldwin, and Harvey Weinstein attempting to lure James to New York City. Giuliani pulls out the big guns, promising King James a parade and the undying love of all New Yorkers should he join the Knicks. We can’t believe he didn’t take the job.

Watch the startling, actual conclusion to one of the greatest television shows ever here:

We Found the Secret Tape the Knicks Made for LeBron | PTFO

 
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