The short film was made to help the New York Knicks sign LeBron James in 2010.
The Big Picture
- James Gandolfini and Edie Falco reprise their iconic
Sopranos
roles in a hidden video to recruit LeBron James for the Knicks in 2010. - The video, titled “Two Years Later,” blended
The Sopranos
storytelling with NBA recruitment, featuring various celebrity cameos. - The creative marketing attempt highlights the lasting impact of
The Sopranos
and the lengths teams will go to attract top talent.
In a unique blend of sports appeal and TV nostalgia, a long-hidden video with James Gandolfini and Edie Falco revisiting their iconic roles from The Sopranos has been unearthed. The bizarre but delightful footage, intriguing both as a piece of television history and an NBA story, was designed to persuade basketball superstar LeBron James to join the New York Knicks in 2010. Three years after the conclusion of HBO’s The Sopranos, Gandolfini and Falco appeared again as Tony and Carmela Soprano. The new footage places them in what Tony describes as the witness protection program, which was improvised by Gandolfini as an excuse for his having a giant bushy beard at the time.
The scene, titled “Two Years Later” after the show’s infamous abrupt ending, shows the couple imagining how LeBron could make Madison Square Garden his new home. This clip, which only recently gained public attention, was shown on the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, which highlighted a curious and very fun attempt to blend the deep storytelling of The Sopranos with the intense recruitment tactics of the NBA.
Who Else Tried to Recruit LeBron?
The full Knicks’ video pitch also includes appearances by Donald Trump, Richard Parsons, Reggie Jackson, Rudy Giuliani, Chris Rock, Earl Monroe, Mark Messier, Mike Bloomberg, Robert De Niro, Harvey Weinstein, Thelma Golden, Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee and several others. Given the reputation of many of the individuals involved, in hindsight, it’s probably best for LeBron that it didn’t work, as he ultimately chose to take his talents down to South Beach, to join the Miami Heat in a move that significantly changed the NBA scene.
Gandolfini’s decision to reprise his role as Tony Soprano for such a unique project shows his deep connection to the character and the significant cultural impact of The Sopranos. Gandolfini, who passed away in 2013, left a legacy that was almost entirely defined by his portrayal of the complex mob boss, earning him multiple Emmys and redefining television antiheroes. Tony Soprano is considered one of the greatest characters in the history of television.
The video was a great example of the creative and sometimes odd lengths teams will go to in attracting top talent, mixing the dramatic appeal of beloved characters with real-world sports marketing strategies. It also made abundantly clear how The Sopranos remains a cultural reference point, as shown by the interest in the 2021 prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, which explores the world created by David Chase, offering new perspectives and enhancing the show’s legacy.
The Sopranos can be streamed on Max. You can see the short film from 9:50 in the video above.
The Sopranos
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
- Release Date
- January 10, 1999
- Creator
- David Chase
- Cast
- James Gandolfini , Edie Falco , Jamie-Lynn Sigler , Lorraine Bracco , Michael Imperioli , Steve Van Zandt , Tony Sirico , Steve Schirripa
- Main Genre
- Drama
This article was originally published on collider.com