Alumnus uses hip hop and basketball as 'a canvas to explore new ideas' at Hart House

Alex Wong. Photo by Lorenzo Colocado.

Multitalented University of Toronto alumnus, foremost podcaster and sports and culture writer Alex Wong (BBA 2007 UTSC) is known for combining his two loves, basketball and hip hop, in wholly original ways.

And he has done it once again: With gentle encouragement from Hart House Warden Dave Kim, this producer and co-host of Canada’s number one ranked basketball podcast Hello & Welcome has jumped into programming at Hart House where he is focusing his attention on two upcoming community- and student-focused endeavours: 

• Starting on January 15, Alex is teaching a month-long course called New Media Spaces: How to Use the Podcast Platform for Basketball and Hip Hop Conversations. 
   
• On February 22, Alex is hosting Courts and Chords. This event, supported by Hart House, is a collaboration between the Hart House Hip Hop Education Program and the event sponsor Hello & Welcome podcast.

In this exclusive Q&A, Alex shares details about these two events, his passion for hip hop and basketball and his love of U of T and Hart House.

You’ve had a fascinating journey from your undergrad experiences until now.

Yes, I went to UTSC for their management co-op program and earned my bachelor of business administration. I specialized in accounting, got my CPA [Chartered Professional Accountant] and worked at Ernst & Young [EY] after graduating in 2007. 

I didn’t feel creatively fulfilled at my job, so I left the industry and moved to New York City. There, I became a features writer for several publications, including GQ, SLAM and the New York Times, focusing on basketball and culture. 

I moved back to Toronto in 2016; wrote two books, which have now been published; got a chance to cover the 2019 Raptors championship run; and now produce and co-host Hello & Welcome. 

You frequently return to U of T, to Hart House, to play basketball?

Hart House warden Dave Kim has been kind enough to invite me to his Thursday night basketball runs at the Hart House Fitness Centre gym. I’ve been dropping by and playing for the last year or so.  

Tell us about the course you’re teaching at Hart House from January 15 called New Media Spaces. 

This is a four-week course where I’ll be sharing my insights from my decade of being a sports and culture writer and podcaster with students. I hope this course will open them up to think about the different ways they can explore ideas and conversations in the podcast space. 

We’re going to be using basketball and hip hop as a canvas to explore these ideas. I’m very excited to have a lot of wonderful guest speakers join me, including Francesca D’Amico-Cuthbert, program associate; Alison Duke, co-founder of OYA Media Group; Keysha Freshh, emcee; and Shireen Ahmed, co-creator and co-host of the Burn It All Down podcast. 

I want to make these lessons as student friendly as possible. I want to interact with the students and really find out what they want to get out of this course so I can tailor my plans to satisfying those needs. 

I’m also hoping to make connections with the students so that I can still be a resource to help them in any creative endeavours they want ‒ whether it’s starting a podcast or something else ‒ after the four weeks. I want to give back and continue to help younger creatives in any way I can. 

How did the February 22 event, Courts and Chords, come into being? 

From speaking to the folks at the university, we wanted to create an event celebrating sports and hip hop in Toronto and we wanted to do this by spotlighting some wonderful artists, creatives, collectors and vendors who breathe so much life into and inspire so many others in the city.

The event will feature a vendor marketplace in the afternoon, followed by a live podcast component at the Hart House Fitness Centre’s gym. We will feature a fun, show-and-tell format where vendors and guests can bring their favorite piece of personal memorabilia, in sports or hip hop, and share the story behind it. Making full use of the gym, we will also have a three-point shooting contest and give away some tickets. 

Students and attendees will be able to check out some cool stuff and meet some creatives from around the city. It will be a cool, hang-out event with some networking sprinkled in. 

Special guests will include the warden and DJ Shannyn Hill.

What do U of T and Hart House mean to you?

There’s so much history when it comes to the U of T campus … and Hart House is a huge part of that. It’s been a pleasure, over the past few years, getting to know so many faculty members and staff. 

When I released my book, Prehistoric: The Improbable and Audacious Origin Story of the Toronto Raptors at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport (Triumph Books) in 2023, the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education team was kind enough to offer me space in the Goldring Centre for the book launch. Five hundred people came out! It was very special. And now we’re organizing courses and events at Hart House! I don’t take these opportunities for granted. It has been wonderful. 

Any advice to students from an alumnus perspective?

Keep in touch with classmates and/or professors who made an impact on you during your time at U of T. It doesn’t necessarily need to be for any purpose. There’s something cool in staying in touch and getting an update about them as they progress to different points in their lives. 

Originally published by Hart House