I have to know. What is the deal with Worldwide Wes? Why is everyone so mystified by him?

 

I understand that he's "well connected", but surely that can't be it. I've read the article explaining a lot of his connections.

 

Jeff Goodman wrote, "It’s all about Cal — with maybe some credit going to William Wesley (aka Worldwide Wes)."

 

Read his article here: http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/calipari-succeeds-at-herding-cats

 

Everybody has a reason for Calipari's ability to recruit, and the biggest one always seems to be Worldwide Wes. So, what exactly does Worldwide Wes do?

 

Lets hear it.

Well he's about to become a sports agent from something I read a month or so back. I've suspected he was one for some time, just not officially listed.

By the way, I've googled Worldwide Wes & I've read the articles.

 

I'll save someone the time & post this one, which is probably the most notorious. http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200706/william-wesley-worldwide-wes-nba-basketball

 

I just want to know, what's the deal?

Uncle Wes is a cool Cat in my book. He's probably a little underhanded but no one he's involved with ever has a bad word to say about him. He's good for the players, or atleast he has been so far.

From a September '09 NY Daily News Article

 

The three most important faces inside the gym at Skidmore College today were - in order of importance - William Wesley, Danilo Gallinari and Eddy Curry.

 

The Knicks need all three if Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni hope to crack the 41-win barrier sometime before 2020.

 

Wesley, know as “World Wide Wes” is one of the movers and shakers in NBA circles. He has a close relationship with Donnie Walsh, who asked Wesley to oversee Curry’s off-season workout program. More importantly, Wesley is also an advisor/confidant/friend of LeBron James.

 

Yes, that LeBron James

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2009/09/knicks-counting-on-world-wide.html

He reminds me a little of Sonny Vaccaro (sp?) in the old days, when he was the "man" for the a couple of shoe companies? He seems to be a guy who tries to help some of these kids steer their careers, etc, while undoubtably getting something for himself. A little shady maybe, but I've not heard anyone say much about him doing anything illegal, etc.?

He reminds me a little of Sonny Vaccaro (sp?) in the old days, when he was the "man" for the a couple of shoe companies? He seems to be a guy who tries to help some of these kids steer their careers, etc, while undoubtably getting something for himself. A little shady maybe, but I've not heard anyone say much about him doing anything illegal, etc.?

 

Sonny was very big at Reebok and still is pretty involved. I believe he's the one who steered Jeremy Tyler to Israel...

All I know is that when something seems waaaayyyyy too good to be true, it usually is.

All I know is that when something seems waaaayyyyy too good to be true, it usually is.

 

So what is Wes's involvement?

 

Why is Wes being friends with Cal too good to be true? Is he sending all of these kids to Coach Cal?

 

Everybody says it's too good to be true. I'm just asking what "it" is.

Here is an article from March that states WWW is planning on becoming an agent for coaches, both professional & collegiate.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/ncaa/03/05/wesley.agent/index.html

So what is Wes's involvement?

 

Why is Wes being friends with Cal too good to be true? Is he sending all of these kids to Coach Cal?

 

Everybody says it's too good to be true. I'm just asking what "it" is.

 

Coaches have been associated with "handlers" since the dawn of recruiting, be it HS or AAU coaches, advisors, agents, representatives, family members, etc. A lot of these kids don't have fathers in their lives, and/or come from seriously difficult home lives--A guy live WWW can fill quite a few voids and hopefully steer kids in the right direction?

 

When anyone has evidence of him pushing a kid in the wrong direction or taking advantage of a kid; then I'd be concerned. How different is this than an agent, marketing rep, etc. for the pro athletes? The bad ones take advantage of kids, but so far I've still not heard anything like that about him??

 

Let's not pretend that the universities don't "pimp" these kids a lot worse than any WWW-type? They make millions off of these "student athletes" and rake in millions more from their adoring alumni; and do most really have the best interest of the kids at heart?? Maybe these kids need the WWW's of the world to protect them??

He is someone who UNC, Duke, and KU fans hate. They are very jealous of the connection between Cal and WWW. I have a good friend who happens to be a very big UNC fan, and he trashes WWW every chance he gets. Funny thing is, he can never back it up with anything substantial. I hope "we" never find out anything about their friendship. I like my privacy, and I am sure these guys like their's. Unfortunately, I think it may be changing now that WWW has become a bona-fide agent. We shall see. Let's give em' somethin' to talk about. Cal is a very likable person, don't you think?

I have no idea who he is or what he does. As a UK fan, he makes me a little nervous though.

I don't hate Wes. I really don't even think about him until an article comes out about him and that always turns out to be a pretty intriguing article. Count me as a Duke fan that really doesn't care about Wes. People just want to know how a man can have so much power in the world of basketball(pros and college) but no one can figure out how he makes a living and what exactly his job is. It's like he magically appeared out of nowhere as the number 1 mover and shaker. I understand the cause for concern but what can you do. It's well known that you don't cross WWW.

 

I don't know if you guys get ESPN Magazine but they have an unidentified NBA star writing columns to give fans some insight into the life of the NBA player. The most recent article 'Player X' talked about Uncle Wes and how he takes care of the players included in his family. Good read.

Sonny was very big at Reebok and still is pretty involved. I believe he's the one who steered Jeremy Tyler to Israel...

 

He is very similar to Sonny, but much more connected. Sonny has just about dried up, especially since the Tyler debacle. That was obviously bad advice.

 

WWW got his start back in the 80's with the Camden Connection. He was big buddies with Wagner and some of those guys that went to UofL, then on to the NBA. That's how he got his start, from those guys when they went pro and tagged along and met MJ and all those stars. He continued to network and turned himself into a business by taking care of people.

 

He's basically a runner/handler for Nike and various other people (agent Leon Rose). He takes care of those kids until they get to college. Basically he guides them to a coach who in return will protect them form other coaches/agents/sponsers until they leave school. They then sign with Nike or whoever WWW advises them too, and then he gets his cut. Prime example, LBJ and John Wall teaming up now. WWW is also connected to that deal. Now, the ironic thing about the LBJ/Wall deal is that they are looking at Reebok (who is desperate without A.I.). Some think they are using Reebok to get more from Nike.

 

The way I see it, EVERYONE knows him. So, if he were doing something wrong he would of got busted a long time ago. He's been around for 25 years or so. I would say his involvment will slow down now that he is planning to officially be an agent. That changes up his game a lot.

 

He's the most influential man in basketball, period. As for other schools being jealous, I don't blame them. Who wouldn't want kids like John Wall, D Rose, T Evans and Gilchrest.