On Sunday night, ESPN debuted a new investigative show led by investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr., with their first story, Backstory revisited one of the biggest moments in the history of sports and media, “The Decision,” which will turn 10 years old next month.
And one of the biggest nuggets reported in the piece is that the idea for “The Decision,” where LeBron said he would take his talents to South Beach to Jim Gray on ESPN, came from a reader of former ESPN columnist, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons. It was apparently there, in a Simmons column, where Drew From Columbus, Ohio, pitched the idea.
According to the reporting turned up by Van Natta, Simmons pushed for the idea with both ESPN and the LeBron camp. However, his current agent at the time, Leon Rose, as well as his advisor William Wesley, who now are running the Knicks together, weren’t all that into it because it could backfire. Also, the show has David Stern on the record on video saying that he tried to call ESPN to shut the show down. Also, according to the Backstory show that aired Sunday, Jim Gray’s involvement in the show became a driving force behind the idea of actually getting to air.
Obviously, that didn’t happen. LeBron’s advisors, Maverick Carter, and Rich Paul wanted to push forward with the plan. But while it was widely ridiculed in its time, even though it led to a massive donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, it was the start of a massive movement between LeBron and his business partners that has led to massive success in the entertainment and sports worlds.
