Ernest Ruffin, Jr. has lived many professional lives—but each one has been anchored by a deep commitment to elevating others. Whether in corporate boardrooms, sports arenas, or classrooms, Ruffin has earned respect through his adaptability, strategic mind, and passion for mentorship. His career first gained widespread attention in the mid-1990s when he signed Joe Smith—the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft—as a client under his agency, East Coast Sports Management Group (ECSMG). That early success established Ruffin as a trusted voice in the competitive world of athlete representation.
But Ruffin’s talents extend far beyond negotiating contracts. His connection to NBA players like Vernon Maxwell, Eric Williams, and others highlights his unique ability to not only secure marketing deals and endorsements but to also see potential where others don’t. Years before social media gave retired athletes new platforms, Ruffin was helping Maxwell craft a narrative that has since turned “Mad Max” into a fan-favorite digital icon. Behind the scenes, Ruffin was working deals and planting seeds.
Today, Ruffin’s focus has shifted toward the future—literally. As the founder and Executive Director of YES (Young Entrepreneurz Solutions), a nonprofit devoted to teaching entrepreneurship to high school and college students, Ruffin is building infrastructure that gives the next generation of business leaders a head start. Through national competitions, mentorship, and real-world business development opportunities, Ruffin is ensuring students don’t just dream big—but execute big too.
His work doesn’t stop there. Ruffin is also the Executive Director of the YES US Virgin Islands Basketball Classic, an annual tournament that brings HBCU teams to the Caribbean for competition and cultural exchange. He’s an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Rutgers Business School, runs a premium Italian leather fashion line (High Status by Ernest Ruffin), and develops scripted and reality content through ECSMG Media. For Ruffin, success has always meant more when it’s shared.
I sat down with Ruffin on today’s episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast to dive deeper into his story—his time working with Joe Smith, why he believes Vernon Maxwell’s recent media rise was inevitable, and what it was like to compete with Magic Johnson for a client. We also talked about his evolution as an entrepreneur, his views on player development, and what continues to fuel his multi-layered career.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: How did you first break into the NBA world and what was your connection to Vernon Maxwell in a marketing or advisory role?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: No. I represented in the league really from a marketing standpoint — well, I took Eric Williams off the streets of Newark in the early 90’s and put him in JUCO. My college coach who was John Carroll who became the Celtics assistant coach, right? My cousin called me and said, “Ruff. Why don’t you coach us? This kid Eric is phenomenal!” and I asked Eric, ‘Where are you going to college?’ And he said, “King.” And I was like, ‘I played at Bloomfield 10 years ago. That’s high school ball. Like, you’re gonna go there and average 30 and no one’s ever gonna hear about it. Take me to meet your mom…’ So he took me to his house and I met his mom and I said, ‘Pat, I can get him out but you gotta keep him out.’ because he was in the ‘hood doing things. And so, it was that getting Eric and getting Coach Carroll to look at Eric to get him into Vincennes Junior College. From there, he went to Providence College, played well in the Big East and got drafted by the Celtics and he said, “Ruff. Help me with this basketball stuff.” That’s how I got introduced, right? From there, Kurt Thomas was his roommate in Phoenix. I met Kurt and started doing all the marketing for Kurt; went to the ‘95 Draft and Joe Smith had just fired Len Elmore and I met a young lady who knew the whole family and she said, “Look. Joe could use you…” She didn’t even know me and I met the Smith Family and started working with Joe doing all things for him his first 2 to 3 years in the league and so that’s how it happened. I met Vernon through a buddy of mine in Charlotte who I played golf with and hung out with all the time and then V-Max started hanging out with us — with him really, and they started coming to the house because I lived on the golf course down South and we would golf and eat steaks and V’s just a helluva guy so, we just became close like that but, I never represented him. No. I would give him advice, but I never represented him.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Are you surprised at all by Vernon Maxwell’s explosive popularity in the digital media space?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: No! Because he’s a heck of a personality! If you guys know V and you know him and you hang out with him, he’s like that all the time! [smiling]…. He’s hilarious, he’s got stories for days, you know? We play golf and he takes it very seriously — One day we’re golfing and he’s like, “Ruff, $20 on this hole!” And I said, ‘Ok. $20 dollars on this hole? No worries…’ He hits the ball straight. I hit the ball, it went into the woods. We walk up to the hole and he says, “Ruff, how your ball get all the way up here with mine?” I said, ‘It hit a tree. It took a nature bounce…’ and “See? This is what I’m sayin’!” And he’s going CRAZY! So that’s his personality. It’s a good thing All the Smoke and it’s a good thing that he worked with you and you helped him out and All the Smoke picked him up because he’ll bring ratings. He’s a great personality so he’ll bring ratings.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: How did you first start working with Joe Smith, especially around the time of the NBA Draft?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: He fired him. Yeah. I don’t know why. He fired him [Elmore] two weeks before the draft. And Lenny’s a smart Harvard educated lawyer. We had a couple conversations; good dude and I still don’t know what happened. But he fired him and I wanted to get in the game so I told the family that I would work with him to help him navigate. By the way Scoop, those were his BEST years those first two years with 15 and 8, 15 and 8.5; we worked all the time and then you know, he was young and impressionable, this was my take on it and he was listening to [Kevin] Garnett had got $100 Million and I think he had 3 million. I got a call and I had talked to [Rick] Adelman up there in Golden State and they were ready to give Joe Rasheed money which was 84-85 million back then, right? Because they had the same numbers and he decided to go with Garnett’s guy and he did some underhanded deal — I’m not privy to what happened but [Commissioner] Stern slapped everybody. Stern slapped the Timberwolves; Joe’s deal was 2-years/ $13M… he left a lot on the table and he never made that kind of money ever again and never had those kinds of numbers again.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Do you think Joe Smith’s career would’ve turned out differently had he stayed with the Warriors?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: Joe was getting better every year the years we worked together. I don’t want to sound like it was because of me. I’m a junkie. I love basketball. You know this. So the work, we’d go to the gym and I had him shooting 18-footers and we’d be working. The work that was part of it wasn’t work. Had he stayed in Golden State, I think he would’ve done really well and he could’ve still got out but, that big money goes with you. So I think that he should’ve stayed in Golden State to be honest with you because he played well up there, really well up there. Adam liked him and I had him all in the community doing great community stuff; he was very well liked and then he moved around and kind of became a journeyman after that. We had Brian Shaw on that team, Bimbo Coles… we had the big guy from Connecticut [Donyell Marshall] he played a couple years, we had [Latrell] Sprewell on the team; we had a lot of skilled players. I remember when Sprewell and P.J. Carlesimo got into it, yeah.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Were you present during the Latrell Sprewell–P.J. Carlesimo incident?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: I was not. But I called Joe and asked him what happened, but Joe’s a great dude with a great family but I wish he could’ve ended his career differently.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: On your experience working with Eric Williams when he was with the New Jersey Nets—what was that like? Did he enjoy playing in Toronto despite any challenges with the coaching staff? And do you ever tease him about Kobe’s 81-point game against that team?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: So Eric is like my younger brother but he’s like a younger brother that doesn’t listen [laughs]… so we always worked together but it was more advisory, mentorship. He liked Toronto, you know? He liked playing up there but I think he and Sam Mitchell was the coach and I don’t think they saw eye to eye much, but he liked playing up there. He liked Toronto. We talk about it now and I ask in front of people, ‘How many of the 81 Kobe scoring was on you?’ [laughing] and he’ll say, “Oh no no no! That wasn’t me!” And I said, ‘C’mon. He had 81 against ALL of you guys!’ Jalen Rose was on that team, Mo Pete on that team… yeah, they had some great players on that [Toronto] team but you know, Kobe torched ‘em but he dug it. He liked it.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Did Eric Williams prefer playing in Toronto over his hometown New Jersey Nets? How did his desire for playing time affect his career moves?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: The thing with Eric was he was from Newark, New Jersey. Sometimes we listen and sometimes we don’t. And what I was explaining to him was when he was in Cleveland with LeBron, LeBron loved him and he was the next one. I said, ‘Listen. You just want to stay close to this young fella because he’s the next one…’ Eric wanted to play. He’s like, “I’m killin’ these dudes in practice Ruff. I just wanna play!” And I said, ‘Yeah but you have a window in this league. And the window is the first three years when you come in and you gotta make your mark. Now you can make it down the road if you’re lucky, but that’s your window, right? Then after that you have to decide if I’m either going to be this type of role player or this type of role player or I’m going to be this type of organization guy or… you gotta decide how you’re going to work the league after that.’ But he could never get past the fact that he wanted to play and so he would ask to get traded. He went to San Antonio. I wanna play! I’m killin’ em… in Jersey, I wanna play! I’m not playing! He just wanted to play.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Which current NBA player best matches Eric Williams’ style of play, and how might embracing his role have impacted his career?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: Jae Crowder. Yeah and Eric moves his feet. I think if he would’ve just relaxed and just accepted the role — I mean, it’s hard to get in the league and it’s hard to get out!
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What was it like competing with Magic Johnson for client DeMarco Johnson, and how did that experience shape your career?
Ernest Ruffin Jr: Yes. So Magic had retired the second time on his own in ‘96 or ‘97 and he decided to become a sports agent and it was this kid out of University of North Carolina-Charlotte named DeMarco Johnson who I had been working for a while and when Magic decided to become a sports agent, he put his name under to represent DeMarco Johnson and DeMarco was Conference USA player of the year. DeMarco’s parents wanted Magic — I mean, who doesn’t want Magic? He’s Magic! And you know, DeMarco and I established a relationship and he liked what I was offering and the other players that I was working with so he signed with me. And with Magic, we never met but we met after DeMarco signed with me and he was cordial even to this day if I ever see him we shake hands, say hello. But yeah, I went one on one with Magic Johnson in the business world and got a brief victory with DeMarco Johnson but, that same guy made me quit the sports agent business! [laughs]… in the Portsmouth Camp Marty Blake said, “You don’t play in Portsmouth, you won’t play in our league!” I don’t think he ever played.
If Ernest Ruffin’s journey proves anything, it’s that reinvention is the key to longevity. After years of navigating the highs and lows of the sports business world, Ruffin has transitioned into a broader role—one that merges vision with purpose. Whether he’s mentoring teens or creating media that tells untold stories, Ruffin understands that real influence happens off the scoreboard, in the seeds you plant for the future.
His work with YES is a reflection of that ethos. The program doesn’t just offer young people a chance to win competitions—it provides them a framework to build generational wealth and confidence. From teaching the fundamentals of business pitches to exposing students to real-world investors, Ruffin is actively changing lives in ways that will ripple for years to come.
And yet, his legacy in sports remains undeniable. From signing Joe Smith at a pivotal time in NBA history to navigating the early media branding of players like Vernon Maxwell, Ruffin’s fingerprints are all over the modern athlete experience. His insight into marketing, brand alignment, and character development has helped shape careers both on and off the court.
His experience selling $20 million in client-server technology across 14 countries for NCR Corporation proves he’s always been a closer. But what makes Ruffin different is that he sees beyond the deal. He sees people, potential, and possibilities—especially in places others overlook. That’s a rare quality in today’s transactional world.
