The New York Knicks hired William Wesley today, as Executive Vice President, Senior Basketball Advisor.
Also today, the Knicks hired Alex Kline and TJ Zanin as scouts.
“We are very excited to announce the hiring of William Wesley, someone that I have known for over 40 years and consider to be family,” Knicks President Leon Rose said. “He is one of the most well-connected and respected people in the basketball community and he will be a tremendous asset and resource to both myself and the New York Knicks.”
Per the New York Post, “Wesley, a longtime friend of Knicks president Leon Rose and former consultant at CAA, is known for his connections with stars around the league. He also previously worked with Thibodeau, considered a frontrunner to become the Knicks’ next head coach, while at CAA.”
“My long history with and respect for Jim Dolan and Leon Rose, as well as the chance to be part of the New York Knicks made this an opportunity I wanted to pursue,” Knicks Executive Vice President – Senior Basketball Advisor William Wesley said. “I look forward to joining the current staff and moving the organization toward a successful future.”
Per the New York Times, “for decades, Wesley has been known as one of the most powerful outsiders in the industry. His actual influence has been a source of much speculation and puzzlement — he rarely gives interviews or talks about his business — and has almost entirely been linked to his networking ability. But his meticulously low profile belies what many have described as the huge sway he wields in basketball.”
And per New York Newsday, “Wesley’s biggest strength is in connections throughout the professional and college ranks. With the possibility of a huge amount of cap space in what could be a huge free-agent market next summer, Wesley and Rose are the Knicks’ latest chance to provide an alluring home to stars, something the organization has long failed at, including last summer when they could not even get a sit-down with any of the stars on the market.”
Zanin joins the Knicks after working as a regional scout for the Dallas Mavericks last season, following two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets as director of college scouting (2015-17). Prior to his time in Charlotte, the West Chester, PA-native spent time with the Brooklyn Nets (2013-15) and the Los Angeles Clippers (2010-13) as a scout. In addition to his NBA responsibilities, Zanin worked with USA Basketball and Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski as a scout for eight years (2009-17), contributing to four gold medals (2010 and 2014 FIBA World Championships and 2012 and 2016 Olympics).
Kline joins the Knicks after spending the last four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans as a scout and basketball operations assistant (2016-20). Prior to joining the NBA, the Pennington, NJ-native ran the recruiting website “The Recruit Scoop”, which wrote detailed scouting reports on high school and college prospects. In 2013 and 2014, he was named to Forbes 30 under 30 list, at the ages of 18 and 19.