Many of the star basketball players descending on Phoenix today for the NBA All-Star Weekend will be calling a sitter -- and not for their kids.
In a world that's become increasingly fraught with danger for superstar athletes as potential predators wield cellphone cameras at every turn, Julian Jones has carved out an unusual -- some might say enviable -- niche for himself. The lanky 27-year-old is the world's most sought-after athlete wingman.
Part companion, part publicist, part chaperone and part guardian angel, Mr. Jones, who lives in Las Vegas and works for a pair of casino owners, specializes in setting up elaborately arranged outings for athletes where every detail from transportation and tickets to the members of the entourage is premeditated. He says this weekend's annual NBA All-Star festivities, which have emerged as one of the biggest blowouts for athletes and their hangers-on, is one of his busiest times of the year.
Using a combination of street smarts, tips from veteran superstars like Shaquille O'Neal and ancient Chinese military tactics gleaned from reading Sun Tzu's "Art of War," Mr. Jones has become so adept at protecting his charges from ugly situations and nightclub mayhem that he's become a trusted ally of athletes across all sports leagues. NBA stars from Kobe Bryant to Amare Stoudemire have joined his entourage in Las Vegas. He rang in the New Year with Michael Phelps, escorted New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and his son to a fight this month, and in January accompanied Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens to a party....
...Mr. Jones, who would not disclose his salary (one of his bosses, casino owner Gavin Maloof, says it's "not much"), admits to oversleeping on a regular basis, eating at Jack in the Box once a day, sprinkling cheese on everything, and rarely answering his phone (though he says he returns 90% of the calls he gets a day).
But the nonchalant image he cultivates is deceptive. In fact, Mr. Jones spends most of his days in his junior suite on the 17th floor of the Palms Casino Resort where he strategizes and secures tables at restaurants and access to nightclubs. His main rule of thumb: He never tells callers where his party is or where he's going next, lest potential leeches be eavesdropping on either end of the line. When Mr. Jones heard last summer that his friend Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker was robbed and found unconscious in a hotel driveway, he felt personally responsible. "That never would have happened if I'd been in town that week," says Mr. Jones.
Full story here.
Via: Wall Street Journal
No comments:
Post a Comment