The Knicks are a hiring a mysterious NBA power broker who was once described as 'the most powerful man in sports'

• The New York Knicks announced the hiring of William Wesley, famously known as "World Wide Wes," to their revamped front office.
• Wesley has been a powerful, but mysterious, figure in the NBA for decades, known for his relationships with star players, from Michael Jordan to LeBron James.
• New Knicks president Leon Rose worked with Wesley at the agency CAA and touted Wesley's ability to develop relationships as an asset for the Knicks.

On Wednesday, the New York Knicks announced the hiring of William Wesley as Executive Vice President — Senior Basketball Advisor.

The hiring raised eyebrows. Wesley is not a well-known name to the average fan, but by all accounts, the man nicknamed "World Wide Wes" has been a power broker in the NBA for decades.

The move doesn't come as a total shock, though there is some surprise involved. New Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement announcing the move that he has been close with Wesley for over 40 years. Wesley worked with Rose at the agency CAA for the last decade.

Before that, Wesley's role in the NBA and overall basketball world has been harder to pin down but has been the subject of great intrigue.

A 2007 GQ profile of Wesley by Alex French was titled, "Is This the Most Powerful Man in Sports?"

Who is World Wide Wes?

Wesley and Rose have been longtime friends, both coming from the South Jersey/Philadelphia area. According to the GQ profile, Wesley got his start at a shoe store in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, made a few connections to local hoops stars, and began climbing the social ladders from there.

"Wes is such a perfect realization of the modern American dream — full of old-fashioned wheel-greasing, hustling, and social climbing — that it feels like it was written for the big screen," French wrote.

In the 1990s, Wesley met Michael Jordan and began working one of Jordan's basketball camps, which GQ described as Wesley's "big break."

Over the years, Wesley has worked closely with Jordan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and more. As The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov wrote, however, Wesley's exact role around the NBA is "nebulous."

"If a player needs a custom-clothing designer, Wes can help you with that," Chicago Sun-Times writer Lacy Banks Banks told French in 2007. "Need a hairstylist who knows how to do complicated cornrows? Wes can do that."

"[Wesley] is the photo-bomber of basketball, sports, and entertainment," ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said in 2013. "You look up, there's Michael Jordan, there's Wes. There's Jay Z, there's Wes. There's LeBron James, there's Wes."

Bill Simmons wrote in 2010 that Wesley "carries more weight in the league than anybody."

Rose represented LeBron James from 2005 until 2012 when James left CAA to join Klutch Sports, which was started by his friend Rich Paul. During James' time at CAA, Wesley worked closely with James. Ahead of James' anticipated free agency in 2010, then-Newsday reporter Alan Hanh wrote that Wesley had positioned himself at the "epicenter" of James' free agency.

Though Rose and James — and thus, Wesley — are no longer connected, one player told Hahn at the time: "He is everywhere and knows everyone."

How involved is Wesley today?

It's unclear the degree to which Wesley is still a power broker in the NBA. According to French, Wesley grew close with players like James, Anthony, and Dwyane Wade by staying on a cruise ship with them during the 2004 Olympics. With some of those players out of the league or nearing retirement, it's unclear how connected Wesley is to today's stars.

In recent years, Wesley has been a coaching agent, famously connected to John Calipari of Kentucky. According to The New York Times' Sopan Deb, Wesley has helped Calipari's recruiting efforts.

SNY's Ian Begley wrote on Wednesday that Wesley has "long been considered one of the most important people in basketball circles from high school to the NBA. He has well-established relationships with players and coaches at all levels of the game."

In a statement on Wednesday, Wesley said his personal relationship with Rose and Knicks owner James Dolan convinced him to finally work with a team. Vorkunov reported that Wesley has been working with the Knicks recently.

"My long history with and respect for Jim Dolan and Leon Rose, as well as the chance to be part of the New York Knicks, made this an opportunity I wanted to pursue," Wesley said in a team statement. "I look forward to joining the current staff and moving the organization toward a successful future."

In an interview with MSG Networks on Wednesday, Rose touted Wesley's ability to develop relationships, saying he'll be an asset to the Knicks.

Though his exact role is a bit unknown at this moment, his connections stand to help a team stuck in a perpetual rebuild.

"Wes is everywhere," an NBA executive told Vorkunov. "He's in the pros, he's in college, he's at Nike. Wes is probably one of the best people I've seen at building a relationship."

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