View source for William Wesley

{{Short description|American basketball executive}}
{{about||the engraver, artist, astronomer and administrator|William Henry Wesley}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| team = New York Knicks
| name          = William Wesley
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1964|08|14}}
| birth_place   = [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]], [[New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| position = Executive Vice President – Senior Basketball Advisor
}}

'''William Sydney Wesley''' (born August 14, 1964) is the Executive Vice President – Senior Basketball Advisor for the [[New York Knicks]]. He is a former [[United States|American]] [[consultant]] for [[Creative Artists Agency]]. Known as "World Wide Wes" or simply "Wes," Wesley is noted for his relationships with numerous high-profile [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] players and team owners, [[college basketball]] head coaches and their agents. Considered by many observers within the industry as a power broker and one of the most influential men in the business side of basketball, he forged those strong ties without being associated with any business entity.<ref name="pthamelnyt">{{Cite news|last=Thamel|first=Pete |author-link=Pete Thamel |date=2010-08-02|title=Agency Role Could Limit Basketball Broker’s Power|language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/sports/ncaabasketball/02wes.html|access-date=2022-10-16|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

He has been associated with many of the league's most prominent players, including [[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]], and [[Allen Iverson]]. Wesley is a longtime client of Iverson and LeBron James's agent, the [[Philadelphia]] attorney [[Leon Rose]].<ref name="gq">{{cite news  | first=Alex  | last=French  | url=https://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200706/william-wesley-worldwide-wes-nba-basketball  | title=IS THIS THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN SPORTS  | publisher=[[GQ]]  | date=August 2007  | accessdate=2007-07-15}}</ref>
One of hip hop's biggest contemporary artists, [[Drake (entertainer)|Drake]], gives Wesley a shout out on his popular [[Diss (music)|diss track]] [[Back to Back (Drake song)|Back to Back]], stating "I learned the game from William Wesley, you could never check me," (the first verse in the song) exposing Wesley to a new audience.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/07/best-rap-verse-the-month-july-2015 |title=The Best Rap Verse of the Month |last=Diaz |first=Angel  |website=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] |access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref> Wes was also referenced in [[Jay-Z]]'s verse in the song [[Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/09/drake-nothing-was-the-same-pop-culture-references/worldwide-wes |title=Worldwide Wes - Every Pop Culture Reference on "Nothing Was the Same" - Complex |last=Rocher |first=Frantz  |website=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] |access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref> [[Shaquille O'Neal]] references Wesley in his song "[[LaVar Ball]] Diss Track".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Shaquille-oneal-lavar-ball-diss-track-lyrics|title=LaVar Ball Diss Track Lyrics|work=[[Genius.com]]|access-date=September 25, 2017}}</ref>

==Early years==
Wesley was born in [[Camden, New Jersey]]. He played high school basketball for [[Pennsauken High School]] in [[Pennsauken Township, New Jersey]]. Playing for rival [[Camden High School (New Jersey)|Camden High School]] was [[Milt Wagner]], who later went on to the [[University of Louisville]] and the NBA. Wagner claims<ref name="detnews">{{cite news  | first=Fred  | last=Girard  | url=http://www.detnews.com/2005/pistons/0505/29/D01-197152.htm  | title=Who is basketball mystery man Wes Wesley?  | publisher=[[Detroit News]]  | date=May 29, 2005  | access-date=2006-01-20}}</ref> that Wesley became his friend and confidant during high school, and that he introduced Wesley to Michael Jordan, among other pro basketball luminaries.

Around the same time, Leon Rose played basketball for nearby [[Cherry Hill High School East]] in [[Cherry Hill, New Jersey]]. In 2005 Rose acknowledged having been Wesley's attorney "for 21 years."<ref name="detnews"/>

In the early 1980s, Wesley worked as a salesperson at Pro Shoes Inc., an elite sneaker company, specializing in high-end basketball shoes, across the street from the [[Cherry Hill Mall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/16874/william-wesley-in-the-spotlight|title=William Wesley in the spotlight|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=22 June 2010|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref>

==Involvement with current players and coaches==
Wesley is involved with The Family, a [[Detroit]]-area youth basketball team supported by former [[Detroit Pistons]] guard [[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]],<ref name="abj" /> and counts among his closest friends Hamilton, Iverson, and [[Dajuan Wagner]],<ref name="abj">{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Windhorst |url=http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/11820030.htm |title=Mystery man behind scenes |publisher=[[Akron Beacon Journal]] |date=June 5, 2005 |accessdate=2006-01-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210220956/http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/11820030.htm |archivedate=February 10, 2006 }}</ref> the son of Milt Wagner and a first-round pick in the [[2002 NBA draft]]. All are clients of Rose.

Wesley was also very visible in the months leading up to LeBron James' defection from agent [[Aaron Goodwin]].<ref name="abj" /> Goodwin, who signed James out of high school, had helped him earn a lucrative contract with [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]. James signed with Rose during the summer of 2005.

While head coach at Memphis [[John Calipari]] stated, "Wes is a goodwill ambassador to our program.”<ref>{{citation|author=Alex French|title=Is This the Most Powerful Man in Sports?|url=https://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200706/william-wesley-worldwide-wes-nba-basketball?currentPage=1|publisher=Condé Nast|date=July 1, 2007|access-date=April 6, 2015}}</ref>  After [[2011-12 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team|Kentucky]] claimed the title over [[2011-12 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team|Kansas]], Kentucky Wildcats star Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist climbed into the stands and shared a celebratory hug with Wesley, who was sitting in the Kentucky family section inside the Superdome.<ref>{{citation|author=John Canzano|author-link=John Canzano|title=No shocker, "Worldwide Wes" sitting over the shoulder of Kentucky's NCAA title run|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2012/04/worldwide_wes_was_behind_the_k_1.html|publisher=The Oregonian|date=April 2, 2012|access-date=April 6, 2015}}</ref>

On May 20, 2010 on ''[[Mike and Mike in the Morning]]'', [[Jalen Rose]] told Mike and Mike that he coined Wesley's nickname "World Wide Wes".<ref>{{cite web|author=Anthony Schoettle (The Score)|title=UK's Calipari shows IU what it has in Cream|url=http://www.ibj.com/the-score/2010/05/21/uks-calipari-shows-iu-what-it-has-in-crean/PARAMS/post/20113|publisher=Indianapolis Business Journal|date=May 21, 2010|accessdate=September 24, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=John Rooke|title=John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud|url=http://www.golocalprov.com/sports/john-rooke-thinking-out-loud75|publisher=Go Local Prov|date=March 30, 2013|accessdate=September 24, 2014}}</ref>

On June 24, 2020 the New York Knicks announced they had hired Wesley as their new Executive Vice President.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/who-is-world-wide-wes-knicks-nba-power-broker-2020-6|title = The Knicks are a hiring a mysterious NBA power broker who was once described as 'the most powerful man in sports'}}</ref>

==Personal life==

Wesley has one daughter named, Wynn.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Calipari |url=https://twitter.com/UKCoachCalipari/status/1294333537206886400 |website=Twitter |access-date=4 May 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://myespn.go.com/profile/truehoop?tag=who%20is%20william%20wesley? TrueHoop.com William Wesley Section] - A collection of theories & articles about William Wesley hosted on [[TrueHoop]].
* [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E6DD113BF936A15752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 2001 New York Times Magazine Article] - Feature on [[Dajuan Wagner]] that also prominently mentions Wesley.
* [https://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200706/william-wesley-worldwide-wes-nba-basketball?currentPage=1 2007 GQ Article] - Comprehensive exposé on WorldWide Wes
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/sports/basketball/05wesley.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin 2008 New York Times Article On Wesley]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wesley, William}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Basketball executives]]
[[Category:Pennsauken High School alumni]]
[[Category:People from Pennsauken Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Camden, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Widener University alumni]]