Ep. 4: The Decision

Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak and the New York Knicks

The Athletic

Sports, Basketball, Business

4.4 • 573 Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For years leading into the Summer of 2010 - the Knicks had been doing everything they could to convince LeBron James to sign with the team. Episode four of Shattered goes behind-the-scenes on the Knicks pursuit of LeBron: the aggressive efforts the team made to clear out salary cap space, the incredible roster of celebrities the Knicks used to try to convince LeBron to sign, and ultimately - why the Knicks pitch failed.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	My guest tonight, a basketball star plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
0:11.0	It's September of 2009.
0:14.0	A slightly gray-haired John Stewart is the host of the Daily Show.
0:18.0	Stuart is welcoming on of Crown Prince of the NBA, LeBron James, who at the age of 24, has
0:24.8	written an autobiography.
0:26.4	Please welcome back to the program.
0:28.1	LeBron James!
0:31.4	This interview is taking place before the start of what would be up to that point, the
0:36.1	craziest NBA season of LeBron's life.
0:39.1	The entire focus of the upcoming season
0:41.7	was where LeBron was going to play next season.
0:45.5	Your free agency.
0:47.0	Are you familiar with our city?
0:49.2	Stewart begins handing LeBron's small little tokens
0:52.4	that represent New York,
0:54.0	a bag of shake-shack burgers,
0:56.2	and I love New York coffee cup,
0:58.6	and even...
0:59.6	Would you like a Tyrannosaurus rex vertebrae?
1:04.6	LeBron looks over at the offerings laid before him.
1:07.5	I got the shake shack and a Tyrannosaurus rex vertebrae.
1:12.4	Oh, Cleveland can get you into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
	...

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