“Worldwide Wes,” Pictured Far Left
Jalen Rose is the man. No, seriously, even if his singing is off key and I’d never try that outside of the confines of my apartment, Jalen Rose is the man in my book. Not only was he a founding member of the greatest freshman class in college basketball history. Not only was he a pretty good NBA hooper in his day. Not only is he an ever-improving analyst. But he’s also the guy who gave William Wesley the ominous nickname, “Worldwide Wes.”
For those not in the know, Jalen’s podcast is must-listen material mainly off the fact he rarely bites his tounge and is as a straight shooter on ESPN if there ever was one. In this instance, David Jacoby sets the scene during All Star Weekend in Houston recalling a tale of his encounter with the man who has his hand in as many NBA pots than any of us could care to ponder.
Rose takes it from there diving into stories of his runnings with Wes and how the moniker came to fruition after a late departing plane. To be fair, Jalen nearly killed my vision of Wes being this mob figure who just dominates NBA high-ranking business and social scenes with threats of leaving bodies in an abandoned warehouse like Marlo if said parties fail to play by his rules. I say “nearly” because I’ve known he wasn’t for years now, but it’s always more fun to think of Wes in that setting.
I won’t ruin too much of what the clip has to offer, but it’s well worth the price of admission if you’re still trying to shake that hangover from Friday night or just being as lazy as you want to be on a Saturday. Regardless, it’s well worth it to hear Jacoby and Jalen wax poetics about the NBA’s version of the Loch Ness Monster.