Just two days after firing Steve Mills, the Knicks have found their new team president in CAA basketball co-head Leon Rose.
Knicks owner James Dolan & Co. are now heading down the road the Lakers and Warriors have gone by hiring a former agent to lead their rebuild. Los Angeles hired Rob Pelinka, who was the CEO of The Landmark Sports Agency, as their GM in 2017. Former Wasserman Media Group agent Bob Myers joined Golden State in 2011, where he worked his way up to president.
Knicks fans are probably wondering who exactly Rose is, so here are some things to know about the team's new leader in the front office:
Impressive NBA client list
Rose has been in the game for a while now, and his current client list is solid.
Players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Kyle Kuzma, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul are among Rose's 20 clients.
Could those connections, especially in regards to Towns and Booker (who play on bad teams), work out in the Knicks' favor?
Head coaching connections
It isn't just current and former players that Rose has been in tune with over his professional career. According to Frank Isola, Rose is "very close" with Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Tom Thibodeau -- all former big-name head coaches in the NBA.
The Knicks will obviously be looking for their next head coach once the season is over, and though interim head coach Mike Miller has been doing well after the firing of David Fizdale, Dolan will probably be looking for a bigger name.
These men have been mentioned in the past, and now they have a close friend within the organization.
LeBron and AI hired him
Rose is well known for his time as LeBron James' agent from 2005-2012. James left Rose to join Rich Paul, but Rose was there to help James burst onto the scene as the NBA's next big superstar when he was with the Cavaliers.
Rose also repped Allen Iverson during his time with the 76ers. Iverson had fired David Falk in 1999, and eventually brought Rose on in 2002. Gary Moore, who was Iverson's personal manager, told Sports Business Daily that Rose was picked "because he is professional and respected in NBA circles" back in 2002. That respect has only grown since.
Helped orchestrate Heat's "Big 3"
Back in 2010, while he was still James' agent, Rose was a big part in helping put together the Heat's "Big 3" that included Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Those two were fellow CAA agent Henry Thomas' clients, so both of them helped create the powerhouse that won two NBA titles.
Listed in Forbes
Not only was Rose the No. 2 highest-grossing basketball agent in 2019, but his $38 million commission made him the 14th-best sports agent in the world last year.
He has helped negotiate $948.9 million in NBA contracts for his clients.
New Jersey native
Rose grew up in south jersey in Cherry Hill, where he was a standout basketball player at Cherry Hill High School East. He would eventually go on to play basketball at Dickinson College, and was later named to his high school's Hall of Fame.