“LeBron James, there’s always something else to shoot for”: Jay-Z’s 2010 free agency Nets recruitment pitch to former Cavaliers and Heat superstar had little to no effect on Bron

LeBron James was a tad bit surprised when he found himself at a super-penthouse in downtown New York. Jay-Z played that card right.

Jay-Z and LeBron James have been associated with each other and been fans of each other forever. They first met when LeBron was 15 years old, while Jay-Z was 30 and the world’s bestselling rapper.

It didn’t take long for the two to build a bond that went beyond just business. Jay-Z became a mentor of sorts for LeBron, who sought to free himself of the ball player tag.

It continues to be his major identity, but LeBron James today is certainly as much a businessman as a sportsperson. And it was this transition that he wanted to make with his 3rd contract as a free agent.

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Matt Sullivan reveals Jay-Z’s 2010 recruitment pitch to bring LeBron James to the Nets

Former Bleacher Report sportswriter Matt Sullivan released one of the most explosive NBA history books ever, this summer. One of the illuminating bits in it contained the story of how Jay-Z fruitlessly recruited LeBron James to the New Jersey Nets, whom he co-owned.

Mikhail Prokhorov had recently purchased the New Jersey Nets at the time. The Russian mineral magnate had set his sights on transforming the Nets into the pride of the NBA. For him, recruiting LeBron to New Jersey would merely be a first step. In Prokhorov’s words,

“In the same way Jay-Z has transcended being a rapper into being a global brand and a major business and cultural influence, we laid out to LeBron what we saw as his potential to transcend sports.”

This particular meeting took place in the Four Seasons’ extra-exclusive superpenthouse. It was beyond what even a multimillionaire athlete like LeBron James had experienced. ‘Now there’s something else to shoot for. There’s always an extra level you don’t know about.’ – was Jay’s recruiting pitch.

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All of these strategies were fruitless at the end, but one can’t blame Jay-Z or Prokhorov for not trying to lure the biggest name in American sports.