NEW YORK — On Sunday, as the Knicks were set to begin their league-mandated NBA Finals media availability, Leon Rose emerged from a tunnel. Rose wasn’t headed to speak with reporters. He has not done that since taking over as New York’s president of basketball operations more than five years ago. No news conferences, no media gaggles. Just written statements and the occasional sit-down with a team-controlled outlet. And so as Knicks players settled in front of microphones, Rose hopped into the back of an SUV and was whisked away.
To many in New York, Rose is a bit of a mystery. He’s the New Jersey–bred ex-player agent who grinded his way to the top of the profession. He represented everyone from Allen Iverson to LeBron James, building CAA’s basketball division into a powerhouse. In 2020, Knicks owner James Dolan, seeking his version of Bob Myers, the former agent turned Warriors top executive who built Golden State into a dynasty, tapped Rose to run the Knicks. Reporters who have spent time around him say it’s easier to get him into a conversation about Bruce Springsteen than any team transaction.
