Fifteen years ago, LeBron James made “The Decision.”

It was on July 8, 2010, that James sat down at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Conn., about 35 miles from Madison Square Garden, and revealed on live TV that he was joining the Miami Heat.

“I’m gonna take my talents to South Beach,” James, then 25, told moderator Jim Gray in a quote that became as synonymous with the superstar as slam dunks and pregame chalk tosses.

The decision capped the most frenzied free agency in NBA history and altered the very fabric of the league, ushering in an unprecedented era of player empowerment and mobility that continues to ring true.

After seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom he dragged to the 2007 NBA Finals despite a ragtag supporting cast, James opted for sunnier skies and teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on a Heat superteam constructed by Pat Riley.

“I want to be able to win championships,” James said at the time, “and I feel like I can compete down there.”

The move devastated Cavaliers fans, who felt betrayed by the native of Akron, Ohio.

But it also changed the long-term trajectory of the Knicks, who had hyper-aggressively pursued James in hopes of bringing the NBA’s brightest star to Broadway.

Fresh off of a ninth consecutive losing season, the New York Knicks entered that offseason as the only team with enough space to sign two max contracts and were eager to pair James with a star running mate.

But the Heat and Chicago Bulls maneuvered in the days leading up to James’ decision to create their own financial flexibility.

The decision proved to be a fruitful one for James, who went to the NBA Finals in each of his four seasons in Miami and won his first two championships there.

“The Decision,” which is what ESPN called its broadcast of James’ 2010 reveal, was more polarizing.

Critics questioned why the broadcast took nearly 30 minutes to get to James’ choice, while the Cavaliers reportedly found out about James’ intentions mere moments before the event started.

“Having a whole TV special, and people getting the opportunity to watch me make a decision on where I want to play, I probably would change that,” James told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in 2011.

“Because I can now look and see if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player and he decided to leave, I would be upset, too, by the way that he handled it.”

The much-viewed broadcast raised millions of dollars for charity, which Gray has said he wishes he brought more attention to that night.

“Could we have all done better on that evening? Yes, but I look at that as the ultimate player empowerment,” Gray told Front Office Sports in an interview published last month.

“You look back now, at how that has changed everything, it was a seminal moment. ... If you look at what that has done to all of these guys, across all the spectrum of sports, particularly the NBA. That was a big moment that changed a lot for everybody. They can all thank LeBron for making their lives a lot better.”

James has continued to flex his power as a prominent athlete, including by returning to Cleveland before the 2014-15 season and leading the Cavs to the 2016 championship.

A decade and a half after “The Decision,” James is again at the forefront of the NBA’s offseason rumor mill.

James, 40, picked up his $52.6 million player option for 2025-26 with the Los Angeles Lakers, but his agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN that his client wants to compete for a championship and “knows the Lakers are building for the future.”

The Lakers, who acquired Luka Doncic in February to be their franchise cornerstone, were eliminated in the first round of this year’s playoffs. They have since signed center Deandre Ayton but lost a valuable defender and 3-point shooter in Dorian Finney-Smith.

The fact James did not restructure his contract with the Lakers to add additional years has further fueled speculation about his future.

The Knicks and Cavaliers have often been floated as destinations where James could be the missing piece for championship contention, though that buzz remains mere fodder among fans and debate shows to this point.

James’ visit to the Cavaliers’ practice facility last week garnered attention — and a swift response from James.

“I live here still and train every summer,” James wrote on social media, adding, “yall bored man! Go get a plate of food somewhere and enjoy the 4th of July!”

Still, James’ career has been full of twists, turns and surprises, as evidenced by “The Decision” 15 years ago.