Leon Rose

Leon Rose
New York Knicks
PositionPresident
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1961-03-09) March 9, 1961 (age 65)
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.
Career information
High schoolCherry Hill East
(Cherry Hill, New Jersey)
CollegeDickinson (1979–1983)
Coaching career
1983–1988
Career history
Coaching
1983–1986Cherry Hill HS East (assistant)
1986–1988Rutgers–Camden (assistant)
Career highlights
As executive

Leon Rose (born March 9, 1961) is an American basketball executive, attorney and sports agent. He serves as president of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who won an NBA championship in 2026 during his tenure. As a sports agent, Rose represented a number of prominent NBA players, including Allen Iverson and LeBron James.

Early life

Rose grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and attended Cherry Hill High School East, where he played basketball and was later inducted into the school's hall of fame. Rose graduated from Dickinson College, where he played on the basketball team. He earned his J.D. degree at Temple University Beasley School of Law while he worked as an assistant for the Cherry Hill High School East basketball team. From 1986 to 1988, he was an assistant for the Rutgers University–Camden basketball team under his former gym teacher.

Rose was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Sports agent career

Rose represented LeBron James from 2005 until 2012, when James left to join Klutch Sports, led by Rich Paul, who worked under Rose at Creative Artists Agency. Rose and fellow CAA agent Henry Thomas, who at the time represented the Heat's Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, worked together to bring the three players together on the Miami Heat in 2010. Rose negotiated a four-year deal for James with Miami. He had previously negotiated a 2006 extension for James with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Executive career

On March 2, 2020, Rose was named president of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rose orchestrated the Knicks' first NBA championship in 53 years in 2026. He was widely lauded for building the team from scratch without benefit of a high draft pick, instead making trades and signing underappreciated players at the time but which turned out to be key moves to building a champion.

Clients

Rose's previous clients include:

Personal life

Rose and his wife, Donna, have two children together.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Atkins, Larry (October 5, 2002). "Leon Rose: This agent is a secret no more". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ Jasner, Phil (May 20, 2002). "Iverson hires agent". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved September 12, 2006.
  3. ↑ Windhorst, Brian (September 13, 2012). "LeBron chooses Rich Paul as agent". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ Strauss, Robert. "In Person; A 'Concierge' To N.B.A. Stars", The New York Times, August 18, 2002. Accessed October 28, 2018. "While Mr. Rose was a decent enough player at Cherry Hill East, at 5-foot-10, he knew he would never have the chance to play at the higher levels."
  5. 1 2 Strauss, Robert (August 18, 2002). "IN PERSON; A 'Concierge' To N.B.A. Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Leon Rose". Madison Square Garden Sports. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  7. ↑ Leon Rose: Class of 2011 Archived March 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Accessed August 25, 2011. "Leon Rose grew up in Cherry Hill, played varsity basketball in high school and is a member of the Cherry Hill East Basketball Hall of Fame."
  8. 1 2 3 4 Windhorst, Brian (September 13, 2012). "LeBron dumps Rose, hires friend Paul as agent". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Leon Rose Named President of New York Knicks". NBA.com. March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ Mahoney, Brian (March 2, 2020). "Knicks hire longtime player agent Leon Rose as team president". NBA.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  11. ↑ Moore, Anthony (March 2, 2020). "Dickinson College Alumnus Leon Rose '83 Named President of New York Knicks". www.dickinson.edu. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  12. ↑ Dwyer, Kelly (June 15, 2026). "Leon Rose built a Knicks champion the whole world could love". sbnation.com.
  13. ↑ Braziller, Zach (June 15, 2026). "Jay Wright extols Leon Rose vision that finally brought Knicks a title". New York Post.
  14. 1 2 Spears, Marc (September 26, 2009). "Anthony strives to reach peak in the Rockies". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  15. 1 2 Narducci, Marc (June 26, 2006). "Rose blossoming as stars' go-to guy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 12, 2006.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Callahan, Kevin (June 20, 2002). "Local agent Rose on the rise". The Courier-Post (Cherry Hill, New Jersey). Retrieved September 12, 2006.
  17. ↑ "Leon Rose | President, New York Knicks | Madison Square Garden Sports". www.msgsports.com. Retrieved September 3, 2026.