Jalen Anthony Rose was born on January 30, 1973. He is an American sports analyst and a former professional basketball player. In college, he played for the University of Michigan Wolverines as part of the "Fab Five," a group that included Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. This team reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both freshmen and sophomores.
Rose played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a small forward for six teams. He was especially known for playing with Reggie Miller on the Indiana Pacers team that reached three consecutive Eastern Conference finals and the 2000 NBA Finals. He retired in 2007 with a career average of 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Rose worked as a sports analyst for ABC and ESPN. He provided commentary on shows such as NBA Countdown and Get Up! He also co-hosted the ESPN talk show, Jalen & Jacoby, with David Jacoby until the end of 2022. He founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy and wrote the New York Times best-seller Got to Give the People What They Want. He also produced the ESPN documentary The Fab Five.
Early life and family
Jalen Rose was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Jeanne Rose and Jimmy Walker, who was the top pick in the NBA draft and played in the NBA twice as an All-Star. Jeanne Rose made Jalen's name by combining his father's name, James, and his uncle's name, Leonard. Because of Jalen's fame in the NCAA and NBA, the name Jalen became very popular for African-American boys born in the 1990s and early 2000s. Many famous athletes who started playing in the 2010s have the name Jalen, including Jalen Hurts, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jalen Green, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Suggs, and Jaylen Waddle. In 2021, 32 athletes with names similar to Jalen were playing in the NBA, NFL, and other professional sports leagues in North America, while 80 more played men's college basketball.
Jalen never met his father in person, but they spoke on the phone several times. Jimmy Walker died in July 2007 from lung cancer.
Jalen was a top athlete at Southwestern High School in Detroit. His teammates included future NBA players Voshon Lenard and Howard Eisley. Jalen became well-known, and he appears in the documentary film Hoop Dreams at a high school All-Americans camp.
College career
Rose attended the University of Michigan, where the Wolverines reached the NCAA Championship games in 1992 and 1993, finishing as national runners-up both times. Rose was part of Wolverines coach Steve Fisher’s famous 1991 recruiting class, called the "Fab Five." He had the highest scoring average among the Fab Five during his freshman year, scoring an average of 17.6 points per game and setting a new record for the most points scored by a freshman with 597 total points. In addition to being the most vocal member of the Fab Five, Rose was the team’s point guard and top assist provider. Although he did not win an NCAA title, he scored more than 1,700 points, secured over 400 rebounds, recorded 400 assists, and made 100 steals during his college career. Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall, Rose played as a versatile point guard, and reporters began comparing him to his childhood hero, Magic Johnson. Among the players questioned by the grand jury in the University of Michigan basketball scandal (Robert Traylor, Webber, Rose, Maurice Taylor, and Louis Bullock), Rose was the only one not listed as having received large amounts of money. However, when questioned, Rose admitted that he had received money from Martin, stating it was occasional gifts totaling a few hundred dollars for spending money.
NBA career
Rose was chosen 13th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 NBA draft. During his first season, he played in 81 games, starting in 37 of them, and averaged 8.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. In his second and final season with Denver, he played in 80 games, starting in 37 of them, and averaged 10 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
After two seasons with the Nuggets, Rose was traded to the Indiana Pacers. In the trade, he was sent to Indiana along with Reggie Williams and a future first-round draft pick in exchange for Mark Jackson, Ricky Pierce, and a first-round draft pick.
When Rose joined the Pacers, he faced challenges at first. He often did not play because the coach made that decision, which is called a DNPCD (Did Not Play – Coach's Decision). Rose also expressed frustration about being used as a backup two-guard and small forward instead of his preferred position, the point guard. His performance improved significantly when Larry Bird became the coach, and he realized he was most effective as a small forward.
As a member of the Pacers, Rose helped the team recover from a poor 1996–97 season and led them to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances. In the 1999–2000 season, he became the first player in eight years, other than Reggie Miller, to lead the Pacers in scoring. He averaged 18.2 points per game and helped the team win the Eastern Conference Championship. Rose also earned the NBA Most Improved Player Award, a first for the Pacers. During the 2000 playoffs, he scored 40 points in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers and averaged 25 points per game in the six-game NBA Finals. However, the Pacers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. This series is remembered for an incident where Rose intentionally placed his foot under Kobe Bryant during a play, causing Bryant to be injured. Bryant missed the next game due to the injury.
In the 2001–02 season, Rose was traded to the Chicago Bulls. He was sent to the Bulls along with Travis Best, Norman Richardson, and a future second-round draft pick in exchange for Brad Miller, Ron Mercer, Ron Artest, and Kevin Ollie. On March 16, 2002, Rose scored a career-high 44 points and made a game-winning shot in an overtime win against the Houston Rockets.
After playing 16 games in the 2003–04 season, Rose was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He was sent to the Raptors along with Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter. On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points while being defended by Rose, the third-highest scoring performance in NBA history.
On February 3, 2006, Rose was traded to the New York Knicks. He was sent to the Knicks along with a first-round draft pick and an undisclosed amount of money (believed to be around $3 million) in exchange for Antonio Davis. The trade was made to free up financial space for the Raptors and to acquire a center to help Chris Bosh. Rose’s final game with the Raptors was a home win against the Sacramento Kings, where he scored the winning basket in overtime.
On November 3, 2006, Rose announced he would sign with the Phoenix Suns. On November 7, it was officially confirmed that Rose had signed a one-year contract worth $1.5 million with the Suns.
Rose retired from the NBA in 2007. Over his career, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Post-NBA career and broadcasting
Rose worked as a Sideline Reporter for the 2006 NBA Playoffs for TNT. From his retirement in 2007 until 2023, Rose worked at ABC/ESPN, first as an analyst on SportsCenter and in 2012 became one of the hosts for NBA Countdown. Rose also worked on ESPN's Grantland.
Rose is the owner of Three Tier Entertainment, an independent, Los Angeles-based management and production company. Created in 2007, Three Tier Entertainment develops television and film projects and also manages talent, including directors, actors, and screenwriters. In 2011, he produced the ESPN documentary The Fab Five. The Fab Five earned a 2.1 rating to become ESPN’s highest-rated documentary according to the Nielsen Company. The documentary even sparked a controversy that led to discussions in the media between members of the press, Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball players, and Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball players.
In 2015, Rose released Got to Give the People What They Want, a book about his personal life story. It is a New York Times Bestseller and made the list of Michigan Notable Books from 2016. He co-hosted Jalen & Jacoby, a national US sports radio show on ESPN Radio, with David Jacoby, until late 2022. Starting in April 2018, Rose was a guest analyst of Get Up!, a three-hour morning sports talk show on ESPN.
Rose was one of the three regular panelists on ABC's revival of the game show To Tell the Truth in 2016. The other two were Betty White and Nene Leakes. The regular panelists were dropped after the first season, but he still made occasional appearances as a panelist on the program.
Rose also has a multi-platform partnership with the New York Post where he hosts a podcast and weekly column under the name Renaissance Man.
Rose was laid off by ESPN on June 30, 2023, in a round of cost cuts of public-facing commentators.
After taking a year off from broadcasting, Rose joined NBC Sports as an analyst for their college basketball coverage. Rose also joined TNT Sports and has made guest appearances on Inside the NBA, as well as appearing regularly on NBA TV. TNT, along with CBS Sports, also added Rose to their commentator roster for March Madness in 2025. Rose joined the #7 team with Lisa Byington, Robbie Hummel, and AJ Ross, as well as the studio team with Adam Lefkoe, Seth Davis, and Jay Wright in Atlanta for the First Four. He will also be part of CBS's pregame coverage for the Final Four.
Player profile
A left-handed player, Rose was known for having a smooth and versatile offensive game. He was especially skilled at scoring from the perimeter or near the basket. Throughout his career, Rose played three different positions. He started as a point guard for the Denver Nuggets and later played as a shooting guard or small forward for the Indiana Pacers. He briefly returned to the point guard position with the Toronto Raptors. However, he was most effective when playing as a small forward or swingman. Rose was also a good passer
Philanthropy
In 2000, Rose created the Jalen Rose Foundation/Charitable Fund to provide opportunities that can change lives for young people who need more help. The foundation develops special programs and gives money to approved nonprofit groups. These funds support education and sports programs in Detroit, where Rose grew up, and in other communities that need help.
In 2011, Rose founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA), a public charter high school in Detroit. The school is free for students and does not require special qualifications to join. It serves more than 400 students in grades nine through twelve. The first group of students graduated in June 2015. Rose is the President of the Board of Directors for the academy.
The Detroit News honored Rose with the Michiganian of the Year Award for his hard work, bravery, and efforts to help improve life in Detroit and Michigan. In 2016, he received the 11th Annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award for his work to support civil and human rights and for helping future leaders through his career in sports, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This award was given for creating the Jalen Rose Foundation, which helps young people from poor backgrounds. Additionally, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame gave Rose the 2016 Mannie Jackson – Basketball's Human Spirit Award.
Personal life
In 2005, Rose received a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from the University of Maryland University College. He continues to support the University of Michigan, his alma mater, and was seen cheering for their men's basketball team during the 2006 NIT Final Four with Maurice Taylor, a former Wolverine. He also attended the Wolverines' 2013 NCAA National Title game in Atlanta, Georgia.
In July 2018, Rose married Molly Qerim, an ESPN personality, in a private ceremony. In 2021, he filed for divorce. He explained that their marriage ended after she moved to Connecticut.