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James Gandolfini
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Who knew James Gandolfini was such a basketball fan? A resurfaced clip from 2010 shows the late actor, along with his onscreen wife Edie Falco, reprising their roles from The Sopranos in an effort to recruit LeBron James to the New York Knicks.
Three years after The Sopranos ended, James became a free agent when his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired. The Knicks then attempted to lure the NBA star to the Big Apple with a short film that also featured Chris Rock, Robert De Niro, Alec Baldwin and Spike Lee, according to Variety.
No one knew the project existed until Falco opened up about it during a 2021 Atlantic podcast episode. However, the clip featuring her reunion with Gandolfini wasn’t unearthed until Tuesday’s (April 16) episode of Pablo Torre’s Finds Out podcast.
“Tony, I’m so glad we moved to New York. Life is so much better now,” Falco as Carmela Soprano says, to which Gandolfini as Tony Soprano replies, “Yeah, life is good here now. Even if we are in the witness protection program.”
Carmela then adds, “Now we just have to find a place for your friend LeBron to live. What’s he like?” Tony describes the athlete as a “modern guy” who “expects tradition,” prompting a conversation about where he’s going to live in New York City.
Carmela eventually pulls up a photo of Madison Square Garden’s basketball arena, which Tony claims is going to be “perfect” for James. With that, Jay Z‘s “Public Service Announcement” plays through the speakers and the words “City of Winners” appear on the screen.
Unfortunately, their recruitment didn’t work, as James ended up signing with the Miami Heat.
While looking back on The Sopranos reunion in 2021, Falco admitted she was surprised that Gandolfini agreed to film the project.
“We got those requests all the time back then and Gandolfini, he did nothing. And somehow, he agreed to this thing, which I was shocked by,” she said, per Variety. “I thought it was a prank when someone said he’s going to do it … [and then] there he was, dressed as Tony. He must have been a bigger basketball fan than I realized.”
The actress added that she “couldn’t believe” James opted for another team after seeing the video.
“Not so much because of The Sopranos,” she explained. “I just thought, it’s New York. How does anyone say no to New York, for God’s sake? But he did!”
Check out the full clip above.
