Alex Kline ’16 recently received an award for philanthropy from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
A Newhouse School alumnus who was once named to Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30 list has landed a job in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Alex Kline ’16 has always set and achieved lofty goals, having created The Recruiting Scoop on Rivals.com and organized a fund raising basketball tournament in the name of his late mother, known as the Mary Kline Classic. To date, the tournament has raised $131,000 for cancer research. Just recently, Kline received a philanthropy award for his fund raising efforts. Kline recently answered four questions about his career both on and off the court.
Q. Last we saw you was at Commencement. How have things gone in the last half year?
A. Following graduation, I landed a position with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans in their front office as a basketball operations assistant. It’s definitely a unique route to go for a Newhouse guy. I also received the award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy at the 31st Annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals: Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Q. How did you get the job?
A. I was very persistent with pursuing the NBA in my final two years of college. I would send out free work and projects to NBA teams and would build the trust of personnel within these NBA teams. After visiting a third of the organizations’ facilities, and meeting with dozens of general managers, assistant GMs, scouts and NBA personnel, I found a way to get my foot in the door through luck, timing and persistence.
Q. What does your position entail?
A. I love my job. I help with various aspects of the daily basketball operation and am fortunate to be working in my dream field right out of college.
Q. How did your experience as a student at Newhouse and Syracuse University help?
A. My experience at Syracuse prepared me to be independent, work hard and be creative. It also helped me learn how to handle adversity. These are key intangibles that translate to anyone in any situation at any age.
