LeBron’s Free Agency; the Influence of Worldwide Wes

No one really knows where LeBron will be playing next year.  There are so many variables and moving pieces which writers and pundits claim will influence his decision – marketability, friends, relatives, championships.  Many claim that one of those influences is William Wesley.  He is better known in NBA circles as “Worldwide Wes.”  The man is  an intesenly private and mysterious figure.  His exact occupation and official title are rather unclear but it would probably be most accurate to describe him as an adviser.  He is often referred to as one of the most powerful people in basketball.  His network of  advisees and friends is vast and comprehensive stretching beyond basketball and into the music, entertainment, and political worlds – people ranging from Jay-Z to Bill & Hillary Clinton.

Wes has been a friend and confidante to almost every major NBA star over the past two decades.  His closest advisee in the 90’s was Michael Jordan and his closest advisee over the past decade has been the Cavaliers’ own LeBron James.  He has such  a close relationship with so many players, coaches, front office generals, and shoe executives that his influence cannot be understated.  He has been following LeBron since high school in Akron and refers to him, as he does many other younger players, as his “nephew.”  During LeBron’s first years in the league, he lived in an apartment directly across the hall from LeBron in a building in downtown Cleveland.  He is a longtime friend of LeBron’s agent Leon Rose, dating back to their days in high school growing up in the Philadelphia area.  It is clear that Wes’ tentacles of influence penetrate multiple facets of LeBron’s off-the-court interests and commitments.

While Worldwide Wes is connected to innumerable public figures in the spotlight, he maintains a fairly private low profile and tries to avoid headlines or publicity.  He has rarely gone on the record to describe just exactly what his role is when it comes to advising famous basketball players.  It is believed his network of powerful friends simply facilitates relationships for the players he advises with promoters and decision makers at the highest levels both on and off the court  but he is also known to give advice on everything ranging from fashion to finance.

One of the more admirable attempts to probe what exactly this man does was a profile written for GQ a few years back.  Alex French, the author, spent much of his time in Cleveland researching the piece.  He spoke with LeBron about Worldwide Wes:

As I stand outside the locker room last December, a Cavs media liaison grants me five minutes with LeBron for a postpractice chat. “Can you describe your relationship with Wes?” I ask. “Friend? Adviser? Both? What kind of advice does he provide? What services?”

He looks down at me and says softly, “He’s a great guy. I met him a few years back. He’s been a great role model to me. I can only say good things about him.”

“As a role model,” I ask, “what’s he in your ear about?”

He adjusts the giant silver earphones fixed above his temples and says, “That’s kind of personal information, honestly. What’s said, what goes on with, you know, our family, stays with our family. But as far as him being a good person—he’s always been good to me. He’s never asked me for anything. He’s always been trustworthy to me, and I respect him for that.”

 

The profile, while now dated, is dripping with anecdotes relating to Wes’ activities in Cleveland including one fascinating and humorous story about Wes meeting Leandro Barbosa in Cleveland before his NBA days and taking him under his wing as a “nephew” over dinner at Blue Pointe Grille.  It is fascinating and recommended reading if you did not read it when it first came out.  The profile talks about everything that Wes has done for LeBron over the past decade from sneaker company advice to setting him up with friend and agent Leon Rose (and potentially influencing LBJ to dump his original agent Aaron Goodwin in favor of Wes’  high school friend Rose). 

While LeBron has certainly grown and matured quickly, it is important to consider all the potential influences on his upcoming free agency decision.  William Wesley appears to certainly be someone who has his ear.  But how large an influence he still has on LeBron and his basketball future is undetermined.  Regardless, he is an interesting mysterious character and the profile is a good read as we prepare for analysis of every angle on the 2010 LeBron sweepstakes. 

(Photo:Paul Sancya/Associated Press)