LeBron James met with the New York Knicks during the summer of 2010 when he was an unrestricted free agent.

The Knicks felt good about their chances to sign The King, but the meeting with LeBron was reportedly a disaster, per Bill Simmons of The Ringer.

Via Dan Feldman of NBC Sports:

“From everyone that I’ve talked to in the know since then, it’s clear that the Knicks were the first choice,” Simmons said.

“And I’m sorry Knicks fans, earmuffs. But it was basically the Knicks’ to lose, and they just couldn’t stay out of their own way. And the stories are legendary.

“They had the legendary meeting. Donnie Walsh was in the wheelchair, and Dolan was Dolan. And it was just a complete – they didn’t have anything prepared. And it just couldn’t have gone worse, by all accounts. It was a disaster.”

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The Knicks ended up with Amar'e Stoudemire, while LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh signed with the Miami Heat.

New York did acquire Carmelo Anthony in 2011 from the Denver Nuggets, but Melo and Stoudemire were never able to co-exist that well on the floor.

The Knicks have been a walking disaster for years under owner James Dolan. New York fans are praying new president of basketball operations Leon Rose can turn the franchise into a winner again. Rose used to run CAA and has a bevy of connections in the league.

It would have been neat to watch LeBron James play at Madison Square Garden 41 times a year. After all, it is the Mecca of Basketball, according to Michael Jordan.