Long before Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks swung and missed on countless attempts to lure another superstar to the Big Apple. The Carmelo Anthony-Amar’e Stoudemire days were long gone, and the Kristaps Porzingis era never truly took off.
Back in 2019, the Knicks had a perfect opportunity to make a statement. Kevin Durant was going to be a free agent, and the open secret around the league was that he wanted to move to New York City, where his company had its headquarters.
With that in mind, Knicks owner James Dolan made sure to get his best people on the job. As revealed by investigative journalist Pablo Torre on his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, the Knicks actually hired the Wu-Tang Clan to record a recruiting song and video to get the future Hall of Famer on the team.
The Knicks tried to recruit Kevin Durant with a unique Wu-Tang Clan track
Wu-Tang Clan founding member Method Man confirmed that the legendary hip-hop band was gladly on board with the idea, since they knew Durant wanted to be in New York and they’re all Knicks fans:
“I don’t remember the track, but I remember we shot a visual for it,” Method Man said. "We really wanted KD to come, and I knew that KD wanted to come to New York. He just wasn't clear on where he wanted to go."
The video, dubbed "The Multi-Million Dollar Wu-Tang Clan Music Video Meant for One Person,” showed Wu-Tang Clan members wearing Durant’s Knicks jersey, and it featured an epilogue in which several members of the band made their pitches to lure the two-time NBA champion to Madison Square Garden.
Durant ultimately headed to New York, but he signed with the Brooklyn Nets instead. He teamed up with Kyrie Irving and hoped to take the Eastern Conference by storm, but it didn’t take long before that team imploded.
Despite having a plethora of All-Stars along the way, such as James Harden and then Ben Simmons, injuries and their dysfunctional nature ultimately doomed the Nets, and they’re still trying to work their way back up.
As for the Knicks, they wound up trading for Jalen Brunson a couple of years later. He’s now become the face of the franchise, and with fellow Villanova stars Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, plus Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, they have one of the strongest teams in the East.
Durant, on the other hand, is now on his third team after leaving Golden State, and he has yet to return to the NBA Finals.