HoopsHype.com Rumors

As if the Midwest region wasn’t dripping with enough storylines – Rick Pitino is unbeaten in the Sweet 16 (10-0), Izzo vs. Coach K, a potential November rematch between Louisville and Duke looming Sunday – a bizarre one emerged before tip-off tonight: Stadium security was told to be on the lookout for William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley, aka, LeBron’s BFF. Why is security on the lookout for basketball’s top power broker? It could be a number of things. Worldwide Wes is a Kentucky guy, so perhaps Rick Pitino doesn’t want him anywhere near his heavily-favored Cardinals. The Big Lead

William Wesley 

Behind the scenes, a source close to the team says that William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley, a consultant for the agency that represents Anthony, informed Dolan that Carmelo was not pleased with the direction of the team under D'Antoni. This is nothing new; backstage maneuvering helped engineer Anthony's departure from Denver and Paul's from New Orleans. But when it comes to matters pertaining to Anthony, this source described Dolan as being easily swayed by the notoriously mysterious, famously well-connected and mythically powerful Worldwide Wes. ESPN.com

New York Knicks, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony 

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan surprised his former teammate Scottie Pippen for Pippen’s 47th birthday party Monday night. Pippen’s wife, Larsa, planned the secret bash at Chicago hot spot Sunda. Bulls family, including team president Michael Reinsdorf and his wife, Nancy, NBA power broker William “World Wide Wes” Wesley, Antoine Walker, Ahmad Rashad, and new Bulls recruit and Chicago native Nazr Mohammed gathered to celebrate at the club with Pippen. Sources told us the fun night ended with a dance-off between Jordan and Pippen to the Trey Songz and Fabolous song, “Say Ahh.” New York Post

Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, William Wesley, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Antoine Walker, Nazr Mohammed, Michael Reinsdorf, Ahmad Rashad 

He sat behind the Kentucky bench on Monday night during the NCAA Championship basketball game and I'm thinking William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley should have just dropped the charade and slid in beside coach John Calipari. The Wildcats beat Kansas 67-59. Anyone following major college basketball knows that talent rules. And anyone following the line of talent, first to Memphis, and now to Kentucky, knows that Calipari and Wesley are college basketball's sweetest couple. Oregonian

William Wesley 

After Monday's championship game, I think William Sidney Wesley is now running all of basketball. I've talked to Wesley a dozen occasions over the years. At times, he's asked me to not to quote him, not to mention him in print, not to write about the relationships he has with basketball players. "Everytime you mention me, it causes me trouble," he told me once after I'd written that he sat alongside then-prep star Kyle Singler during a NCAA Tournament game. Oregonian

William Wesley 

You understand in the end that Wesley's central mission is to get close to young, talented basketball players. And now, he's working as a consultant for Creative Artists Agency, on his way to becoming a full-blown certified NBA agent. Trail Blazers? You want to win big in free agency this summer? You'll need to get close to "Uncle Wes." Hire the guy as GM and leave nothing to chance. Oregon fans know what I'm talking about. Wesley is close friends with former Ducks assistant Kenny Payne. They met while Payne was a player at Louisville. And when Payne was hired by former coach Ernie Kent, it wasn't long until the talent followed to Eugene. Detroit-area blue-chipper Malik Hairston chose Oregon over Michigan. In fact. Hairston told me, "I've known Wes forever," after I saw the then-sophomore at Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals babysitting Wesley's 4-year old son in a court side seat. Oregonian

William Wesley 

Nick Friedell: Interesting visitor in Bulls' postgame locker room in both Miami and NYC: Worldwide Wes. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, William Wesley 

Sam Amick: He was, the agent says, a key power player in relationship between William Wesley and Rose that has led to much of CAA's recent growth. Twitter

William Wesley, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, Lockout, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

Ben Golliver: Portland Trail Blazers president Larry Miller sitting courtside at the Nike Hoop Summit with Worldwide Wes. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, William Wesley, Larry Miller 

What's more, Calipari is represented by William (World Wide) Wesley, who works for Creative Artists Agency, Hollywood's most powerful entertainment agency. One of its many patrons is Chris Paul, who figures to be on the market within a matter of months. Wesley also reps Mark Warkentien, current part- time Knicks scout and former Nuggets' vice president; it's felt he'd caddy for Cal in the office. New York Post

New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Chris Paul, William Wesley, Coaching, James Dolan, John Calipari 

Nick Friedell: Unbelievable how Worldwide Wes literally know everyone. He was standing on sideline next to Noah as everyone came by to give him a hug. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, William Wesley, Joakim Noah 

Calipari, with help from his agent William Wesley, is the master of building relationships that will benefit him and his program. Worldwise Wes and his Creative Arts Agency connections give Calipari the ability to interact and build relationships with any celebrity or decision maker. HoopsWorld

William Wesley, Coaching, John Calipari 

If you're a player or coach of relevance, there's a good chance you already know Calipari or a member of his staff. Not only is he constantly introducing himself to prospects, he's also one of the most visible coaches in the country, as evidenced by his 1,132,088 followers on Twitter, blog and Coach Cal mobile network. "I met him when I was in seventh grade," said the prospect. "He couldn't recruit me or anything, but he was the nicest guy and we joked back and forth. My AAU coach had a bond with him so I really liked that too. He seems to know everyone and that helps him." HoopsWorld

William Wesley, Coaching, John Calipari 

It's the reason you see LeBron James courtside at Kentucky games and tweeting about the Wildcats in his free time. It's why Drake, another rapper, sits next to Ashley Judd at games and brings Calipari and his players on stage when he's performing in Lexington. All of Calipari's relationships are calculated and meant to give him an edge over his peers, especially when it comes to recruiting. "It definitely changes things for me," said one top prospect from the Class of 2013. "I like when guys like Drake and LeBron James come to their games. When I see a coach balling with superstars like that, it just opens my eyes. Not only is he a great coach, he's a cool guy with a lot of relationships. It's just another reason to like Coach Calipari and why Kentucky is one of my top schools." HoopsWorld

LeBron James, William Wesley, Coaching, John Calipari 

Even if that doesn't work, others theorize that it will be former Knicks president Isiah Thomas -- and not Walsh -- who will get the credit when the Knicks finally get Anthony as a free agent over the summer. Thomas still has Dolan's ear, is as power-hungry as ever and would love nothing more than being able to paint himself as the savior in New York. Even if it meant undercutting the man who saved his career in Indiana and who treated him with dignity and respect upon replacing him with the Knicks. "What'll happen is, Isiah will ride in and take credit for this due to his relationship with Carmelo, which is non-existent," a rival executive said. "It'll be, 'Donnie couldn't get it done, but thank God for Isiah and William Wesley and Carmelo!'" CBSSports.com

Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Free Agency, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Isiah Thomas, Donnie Walsh, James Dolan 

Fittingly, NBA power broker William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley, who works closely with Anthony and his agent, was seated in the first spectator seat next to the Nuggets' bench. Wesley does frequent NBA games in the Midwest, but his presence was considerably noticeable this night. Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony 

"I think a lot of people overexaggerate our friendship, but he's a good friend to me," Anthony said. As for a potential trade, Anthony reiterated what he said Tuesday: "I really don't know what's going on. It's three weeks from the deadline, and I can't tell what's going on." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony 

One of Anthony’s agents, William Wesley, is still working the Bulls, sources said, and New York president Donnie Walsh wisely continues to show restraint in talks with Denver. Yahoo! Sports

Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Donnie Walsh 

As happened with LeBron James’ inner-circle last summer, there’s a growing tension within Anthony’s camp over the agendas of the agents. Rose and Wesley – the famous Worldwide Wes – have pushed for the Nuggets to make a deal with the Nets. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose 

Wesley is a close associate of Nets minority owner, Jay-Z, and everyone believes he wants a further entrée into the lair of Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov. Within the league, they all get it: Wes wants access to Prokhorov’s empire, wants to get the coaches he reps hired in Jersey and get full access to the franchise. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Trade, William Wesley, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose, Mikhail Prokhorov