Jalen Rose

Jalen Rose, born on January 30, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan, began his basketball journey as a star at Southwestern High School, playing alongside future NBA talents. His collegiate career at the University of Michigan was marked by his integral role in the iconic ‘Fab Five,’ reaching the NCAA Finals in both 1992 and 1993. Rose led the Fab Five in scoring during his freshman year, achieving a school freshman scoring record with 597 points. As a versatile point guard and small forward, he accumulated over 1700 points, 400 rebounds, 400 assists, and 100 steals during his time at Michigan. Post-college, Rose was drafted 13th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 NBA draft, averaging 8.2 points per game in his rookie season.

Rose’s NBA career spanned 13 seasons, most notably with the Indiana Pacers, where he played a crucial role in their journey to three consecutive Eastern Conference finals appearances and the 2000 NBA Finals. During the 1999-2000 season, he led the Pacers in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game, and earned the NBA Most Improved Player Award—a first for the Pacers franchise. He later played for the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns before retiring in 2007 with career averages of 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. Following his playing career, Rose transitioned to broadcasting, working as a sideline reporter for TNT and later as a prominent analyst for ABC and ESPN. He served as an analyst on ‘NBA Countdown’ and ‘Get Up!’ and co-hosted the ESPN talk show ‘Jalen & Jacoby.’

Beyond his sports career, Jalen Rose is a dedicated philanthropist and educator. In 2000, he established the Jalen Rose Foundation/Charitable Fund, focusing on creating opportunities for underserved youth through unique programs and grants. A significant milestone in his philanthropic efforts was the founding of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA) in 2011, an open enrollment, tuition-free public charter high school in Detroit. The academy graduated its inaugural class in 2015, and Rose serves as the President of its Board of Directors. His commitment to community and education has been recognized with the Michiganian of the Year Award from The Detroit News, the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Mannie Jackson – Basketball’s Human Spirit Award. He is also a New York Times best-selling author of ‘Got to Give the People What They Want’ and producer of the ESPN documentary ‘The Fab Five.’ In 2025, Rose joined NBC Sports as an analyst for college basketball and TNT Sports for NBA coverage, including ‘Inside the NBA’ and ‘March Madness’.