Sopranos’ star thought LeBron James film idea ‘was a prank’ before participating

LeBron James was given a custom video by late actor James Gandolfini in an unorthodox bid from the New York Knicks to bring him to Madison Square Garden via free agency in 2010James Gandolfini reprised his role as Tony Soprano and Edie Falco did so as Carmela Soprano 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.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.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.”