- If you want to follow who represents whom, head over to the DraftExpress: 2007 NBA Draft Prospect Agent Listings.
- Joshua Golka put up a post on his Athlete Agent / Sports Agent Regulation blog about the NBA today [Basketball Agent Info]. It includes links for certification to become a basketball agent (NBPA and FIBA – International Basketball Federation).
- And if you have [a lot] spare time on your hands and would like to read about a man who may wield more power in the NBA than any current agent, I suggest checking out GQ’s story on William Wesley [Is This The Most Powerful Man In Sports?].
And don’t forget to check out the brand new SportsAgentBlog.com Forum!
-Darren Heitner
4 replies on “NBA Draft Day Links”
[…] Leon Rose. Some say that Leon Rose is a name that we are now familiar with due to William Wesley [NBA Draft Day Links]. No matter how Leon rose (pun intended) to his current status, Buck was not going to miss the […]
[…] look no further than his buddy, Vaccaro. If Vaccaro is now out of the game, that should mean that William Wesley will have even more influence in the […]
Does anybody have any idea why William Wesley holds so much power in the industry? I can’t figure out how he can sway high profile players like LeBron to choose certain agents, go to certain schools, and choose companies for endorsements. Does he collect paychecks from agents, companies, and coaches of colleges?
The key with Wesley is that he is smart enough to gain the trust of key business people (such as Lynn Merrit aka head of Nike Basketball) as well as is friendly enough with key figures (see: Michael Jordan/Jay-Z) to gain the trust of a lot of the younger players and their families. It’s kind of the mentallity of “well, if MJ can trust him…” As well, he makes sure to be at every key grass roots event. He’s the networker of networkers. If there’s a new player on the scene, he wants to be the first to meet the player and the key people that surround him. He has the most powerful shoe company in the world, the last generations best basketball player, and the next generations best basketball player on his side. If you want some insight on how Wes operates read this True Hoop entry:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-20-153/Gregory-Dole–My-Summer-with-William-Wesley.html
Also, I met Wesley in 2006 at the NCAA tournament in Oakland. I had an opportunity to sit down and talk to him and Lynn Merrit a bit while I was there.
http://jonesonthenba.blogspot.com/2006/06/pre-draft-monday.html
That conversation a long with the many others I have had with key sports business folks over the years has tought me sooo much about the business. Although I still have some disdain for Wesley because of the way he is not transparent in what he does and because of the way he assisted in having LeBron leave Aaron Goodwin for Leon Rose, I have to respect him for his relentless networking. He’s a lot more intelligent than I first thought.