Diving Into the Mystery of World Wide Wes
By Paul Jordan
(Can you spot World Wide Wes?)
William Sydney Wesley, does that name ring a bell? Because he’s been making his rounds on all the blogs today.
No?
How about World Wide Wes? They are one in the same person. A nickname what was supposedly coined by Jalen Rose to a man who nobody really knows anything about. Just ask around, I’m pretty sure he is the most mysterious modern day man alive. You can ask anyone what World Wide Wes does and they’ll say the same thing. They don’t know, although there is one thing certain about this mystery man and that he is probably the most powerful man in the sport of basketball, and he’s not even a coach, nor a player or even an agent.
We are talking about a man who went from being a shoe salesmen for Pro Shoe, and somehow, as if magically, he has his arm around the great Michael Jordan, and current NBA superstar Lebron James and not mention the current coach of the Kentucky Wildcats—John Calipari.
The only thing really known about World Wide Wes is that he isn’t an agent, we know that much because he’s allowed to flaunt himself around the camps of young, talented prospects that are courting colleges all across America, and yet he’s allowed to do so. Agents or anyone associated with agents are to be nowhere near recruits.
Take for example at the Lebron James Skills Academy that is one of the best events of the summer for coaches and prospects to attend. The academy always keeps coaches away from certain areas were players is and limits contact and to be honest they do a very good job of it. NCAA officials literally go and monitor places like these to make sure nothing fishy is going on. Keeping a close eye on the event helps keep it honest and stops potential violations from happening.
Yet it’s been reported that World Wide Wes was literally just sitting around with Michael Gilchrist and Anthony Davis at the skills academy. When I say literally, I mean he was literally sitting around and chatting ideally to the future Kentucky Wildcats.
Remember, agents are to not be in contact with players. World Wide Wes is a known power broker for the CAA which stands for the Creative Arts Agency, which is a major SPORTS AGENCY and has such clients like Brad Pitt, Lebron James, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock, Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney. Yet somehow right in the mix is John Calipari.
World Wide Wes has been spotted at UK games, he’s been spotted at NBA games, he’s been spotted at camps like these which throws even the casual onlooker in suspension, and causes rival fan bases for Kentucky to flip their wig because of the power that World Wide Wes seems to hold, yet the NCAA never raises a question about it nor do they investigate it. So should Kentucky fans even be worried about Coach Calipari being associated with a man with this much power, let alone this much mystery shrouding him.
Obviously not, Kentucky fans are usually outraged as the NCAA notoriously nit-picks at them but what can they expect when they have someone like World Wide Wes hanging out with the Wildcat recruits at the skills camp. Anyone can say that he was just sitting by and chatting, but what does this say to other and future recruits? They surely know who World Wide Wes is, but obviously what he’s doing is not illegal, because NCAA officials are literally sitting by and watching this take place, and it obviously makes them mad.
World Wide Wes has even gone as far as to take some shots at the NCAA, which is unprecedented because it seems like what he is doing is borderline, but on the other hand perfectly legal because Nike literally lets World Wide Wes do have run of the place at events such as the Lebron James Skills academy.
Take for intense a report from Gary Parrish of CBS sports blogged about his experience on the recruiting trip and was one of the journalists who said that Wes was at the event “of course” Wes is here, is the way he put it. Parrish said that he was talking with two NCAA officials when a young man walked up and said:
“Wes wanted me to tell you hello”
And then he simply walked away. So should Kentucky fans be troubled with the way Calipari and Kentucky associates themselves with such a man? Many would say yes, in fact I’ve heard many Kentucky fans complain and say that Cal needs to get out of Wes’s pocket, but if Wes don’t seem to think anything would come of it, then go ahead. So far there is no “World Wide Wes” rule that says he can’t talk with players already committed to another school, but he was known to have a relationship with Michael Gilchrist way before he committed to Kentucky.
Whatever World Wide Wes does, he seems to have stock with everyone who matters and is surrounded by important people. If it’s anyone who has influence, it’s him and it’s safe to say that the NCAA hates it, but World Wide Wes? He thinks it’s hilarious.
Which seems to be exactly what a man of mystery would think about this whole situation.
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