Pablo Torre has moved on from the Los Angeles Clippers and found a new team to dive into. But, this time around, he’s only probed within the New York Knicks archives to find an interesting piece of media. Torre has stumbled upon a video the Knicks used in their pitch to Kevin Durant in 2019, which featured a one-of-a-kind rap song from the Wu-Tang Clan, tailored to the two-time NBA champion.
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Durant has been the focal piece of a few blockbuster trades in recent memory. However, in 2019, he had become the most sought-after free agent. After three years with the Golden State Warriors, KD decided it was time to start a new chapter and New York was looking ver appealing to him back then.
If it were as simple as playing for the Knicks, Durant would have simply signed with the team. Unfortunately for Knicks faithful, they aren’t the only team in the state. Naturally, Durant also had the Brooklyn Nets on his radar.
The Knicks understood that this was their chance at turning their franchise around. They wanted to capitalize on this opportunity and sought the assistance of iconic New York rap group, the Wu-Tang Clan.
Pablo Torre heard word of this and brought Method Man onto the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast. The Grammy-award-winning artist revealed hidden details regarding the brief production.
“I remember we shot a visual for [the track],” Method Man said. “It was about a 4-5 hour process.”
Of course, money talks, but Wu-Tang Clan genuinely wanted Durant to play every home game in Madison Square Garden.
“We really wanted KD to come. And I knew KD wanted to come to New York. He just wasn’t clear on where he wanted to go,” Method Man added.
For most journalists, the conversation would’ve ended there, but not for Pablo Torre. The investigative journalist continued to dig deeper until he received a tip on the song, which revealed the lengths the Knicks went to partner with the Wu-Tang Clan.
“The Knicks paid the Wu-Tang Clan [millions] to write, record and film to woo Kevin Durant,” Torre said.
Torre and his team were able to find the visuals for the song. Each member attempts to sell Durant on the highs and beauty of playing for the Knicks in their respective verse. As we all know, these efforts were in vain as Durant would sign with the Nets alongside Kyrie Irving.
This wasn’t the first time the Knicks put so much effort and resources into pursuing a superstar. They had used similar tactics in 2010 while recruiting LeBron James. Unfortunately, they had come up short in the James sweepstakes as well.
