All I could do was sit and smile as ESPN put together a long piece on a friend of mine, William Wesley, better known as World Wide Wes who is now in the middle of helping LeBron James decide where he will play the next part of his career.
I got to know World Wide Wes  back in the day when I was playing with the Eagles and the Cowboys.  I knew him when he was selling sneakers at Pro Shoes across from the Cherry Hill Mall.
I spent time with him when used to go to the Sixers games with Jerome Brown and other players.¬† Wes was tight with Jimmy Johnson, Michael Irvin and the Dallas Cowboys during their Super Bowl runs in the 90’s.
He had developed those relationships when they were in Miami.  Wes was on the sidelines of their Super Bowl wins.  He would be in the locker room so much, you would think he was on the team.
I’ve jumped in the limo with Wes, some friends and Michael Jordan during the 90’s when the Bulls were running the NBA and Wes was Jordan’s right hand man.
Once he became Jordan’s right hand man, he gained legitimacy with every basketball player on the planet.¬† We could be talking for a minute and the next thing you know, Wes was on the phone with Jordan.
I’ve also spent time with Shaquille Oneal and Wes during the Lakers championship run at the beginning of the 2000’s.¬† Wes gains the trust of players like nobody I’ve ever seen.¬† He finds his way into nearly every segment of the NBA.
He’s also developed relationships with young basketball players and helped them¬† decide what university they’re going to play for.¬† That’s why college coaches like John Calipari and Rick Pitino know him very well.
There was an article in GQ a couple of years ago about World Wide Wes and it titled him as the most powerful person in sports. I find that hard to believe but I guarantee you that Wes is well-connected and it’s not a surprise to me that’s he’s right in the middle of deciding where LeBron James will play the next part of his career.
I wouldn’t be surprised if LeBron winds up playing with another superstar or two, like Chris Paul and Chris Bosh because Wes will put them both on the phone with each other and they may to decide to play on the same team.
