How Jay Z Tried to Bring LeBron James to Brooklyn Nets in 2010

Jay Z had great plans for LeBron James in 2010, and his idea involved a deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

In 2010, LeBron entered free agency and the Nets part-owner wanted to bring him in Brooklyn. Mikhail Prokhorov was the principal owner of the franchise and they were going to Brooklyn back then. The Nets planned to build a dominant team, and they had a lot of faith in their new and rich owner. Getting LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and other great stars felt like the right thing to be done.

LeBron was a two-time MVP back then and everyone knew that he was a great player. The Nets added Jay Z to their team and they wanted him to try to get LeBron. Jay Z was supposed to recruit top stars, and LeBron was definitely on his list.

Jay Z couldn’t get LeBron James

Avery Johnson was the new Nets coach back then. He was super excited about Jay Z and his role in the franchise. Well, the Grammy award-winning hip hop artist knew LeBron personally. How amazing was that?

“It was a circus show,” Johnson said as reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “We were very excited. But in all honesty, we weren’t ready as an organization. And we were playing in Newark for the next two years — not New York. But Jay-Z really gave a great pitch. He appealed to their friendship and sold New York.”

That’s not all. Jay Z wanted LeBron so bad that he even had a 15-minute private meeting with the king.

We all know what happened next. LeBron didn’t sign with the Nets. He wanted to join the Big 3. He even appeared on a special TV show to announce his next move. The Decision made the hottest headlines back then. Well, Cavaliers fans didn’t really like the idea of watching LeBron go.

LeBron joined forces with Bosh and Wade. They won two titles in 2012 and 2013. King James returned to Cleveland and helped them win a title in 2016. Today, LeBron is leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a title, and he has a big chance to do that.