LeBron James has had a historic career… just not with the New York Knicks. He has been a generational athlete since joining the NBA in 2003. He's in his 18th year and still dominates the court like he always has. James is currently chasing his fifth title with the Los Angeles Lakers after winning three with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Throughout LeBron's career, the New York Knicks have been heavily involved in attempting to acquire him.

In fact, there have been three separate occasions where the Knicks could have landed James, but everything fell through.

James has treated the Knicks like a girl who is not interested in a boy. He essentially “friend-zoned” them three times, in 2010, 2014, and 2018.

So what if LeBron had signed with the Knicks in one of those three years? Here's a breakdown of what went wrong, and what the Knicks could have been had LeBron signed any of those three years.

LeBron – Knicks possibilities from the past: 2010

Back in 2010 LeBron James hit the free-agent market for the first time. It was a huge deal and ESPN aired a special called “The Decision” in anticipation for LeBron's desired team. We all know he took his talents to South Beach and played for the Miami Heat, but New York put up an effort to bring him on board.

Before LeBron made his decision, the Knicks reportedly used the popular television show The Sopranos to persuade the superstar to play in New York, per the Athletic. According to Mike Vorkunov, “Yes, there was a video. Yes, it involved Tony and Carmela Soprano. Yes, it was all part of the Knicks' big pitch to LeBron James in 2010, when a slew of team officials walked into a conference room in Cleveland and tried to convince the emerging king to come to New York.”

It was a film that starred several celebrities persuading LeBron to play in New York, with James Gandolfini and Edie Falco reprising their roles as Tony and Carmela Soprano. The Knicks even hired Jonathan Hock, an Emmy-winning director to create it.

“It felt like this very oddly civic effort,” Hock explained. “There were certainly some people who would be strange bedfellows these days that appeared in it. New York celebrities at the time. It was like a civic duty. It would be so great for the city to have LeBron James come to New York.”

However, the video never came to fruition and apparently, the Knicks blew it in their meeting with LeBron during that offseason. According to Insider, the Knicks were LeBron's top choice until he met with them. Bill Simmons spoke about it on his podcast mentioning it was the “Knicks to lose and they just couldn't stay out of their own way.”

“[James] Dolan was Dolan. they didn't have anything prepared.”

James Dolan apparently offered his mixtape meeting with LeBron as well, which didn't bode well for the Knicks' chances of signing him, per Adrian Wojnarowski. No wonder LeBron didn't sign to New York, as the Knicks were a hot mess in 2010.

Had he signed, LeBron would have joined a team with Amar'e Stoudemire, which at the time would have been a delay duo in New York. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups likely would not have been traded to New York, as the Knicks wouldn't have been to afford that roster. Either way, the Knicks would have been in title contention that year, as James and Stoudemire would've had a supporting cast of Danillo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Landry Fields (who at the time was a highly-touted rookie).

2014

This time around wasn't as crazy as 2010, but the Knicks still had a chance to sign the King. After naming legendary coach Phil Jackson the new president of the New York Knicks, the franchise was keen on rebuilding and winning a championship. In fact, they eyed LeBron James and wanted to bring him on board, which would have made them an immediate favorite in the Eastern Conference.

Although the Knicks showed interest, they just didn't have the cap space to make James an offer. Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire were still under contract for a large sum, preventing the Knicks from acquiring much talent that offseason.

If LeBron did sign with the Knicks in 2014, that likely would have meant New York had dished away Carmelo and Stoudemire to clear up the cap space. Additionally, it's not like New York had much trade capital to begin with either, as they sent away their draft picks to acquire Carmelo in the first place. New York wouldn't have been able to support a team around LeBron for a couple of years had he signed with the organization. Instead, LeBron went back to Cleveland where he brought a championship to his hometown in 2016.

2018

James hit the free-agent market again and this time signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. It's paid off as he won a championship in 2020 with Anthony Davis as his teammate. However, similar to 2010, the Knicks were at the top of LeBron's list.

This time around, it wasn't the Knicks who botched it, but instead, Savannah Brinson, LeBron James' wife, wanted no part of New York. James had some interest in playing for the New York Knicks, but according to Dan Feldman:

“His wife wanted to be in Los Angeles, wanted the kids to go to school in Los Angeles, and that just kiboshed the whole thing.”

Had LeBron gone to the Knicks instead of the Lakers, it's possible New York could have won the championship last season. In fact, they could have a similar roster to what the Lakers have now in LeBron and Anthony Davis.

Luckily for Knicks fans, the team is back in the playoffs and look good again. But even so, the fan base will be left wondering “what if,” for the unforeseeable future.