About Jalen Rose
Current ESPN/ABC studio analyst and former 13-year NBA veteran Jalen Rose is one of the few professional athletes to maintain a high profile post retirement. Long known for his post-game quotes and great relationship with the media, Jalen continues to show his versatility in the broadcast booth, in the entertainment world and as a philanthropist.
Jalen was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Southwestern High School and the University of Michigan. In college he was part of the legendary “Fab Five” where he and his teammates revolutionized the sport of basketball by wearing baggy uniform shorts, black socks and black shoes. The only team in Final Four history to ever start five freshmen, they led the Wolverines to back to back NCAA Championship game appearances. In 1994, Jalen was drafted in the first round by the Denver Nuggets. Jalen’s most memorable NBA moments during his thirteen-year career include winning the NBA’s “Most Improved Player” and “Player of the Week” awards in 2000 and “Eastern Conference Player of the Week” accolades in 2005. As a member of the Indiana Pacers, his team appeared in three straight eastern conference finals including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2000.
While many basketball stars make the transition to the small screen after they hang up their basketball kicks, Jalen made the bold leap in the midst of his NBA career in 2001, becoming a multi-faceted reporter and on-air personality for Fox Sports Net’s famed “Best Damn Sports Show Period.” Working with the “Best Damn Sports Show Period” for six years, the budding broadcast star developed his own lifestyle-oriented “Jammin’ With Jalen” segment. Shortly after retiring from basketball, Jalen – a mass communications major at U of M who ultimately earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland University College – went full throttle pursuing his passion in the multi-media, sports and entertainment world, signing with ESPN/ABC as a studio analyst. Covering a wide range of current events in the landscape of sports, he’s appeared on the network’s flagship shows SportsCenter, Mike and Mike in the Morning, First Take and ESPNews, as well as the NBA-related shows Fast Break, Coast to Coast and Shootaround. Entering his third season as an ESPN studio analyst, Jalen will continue working with the worldwide leader in sports television, appearing in-studio and on radio regularly on their family of networks.
A true play-maker on the court while charming and fashionable off the court, Jalen has been recognized for his style on numerous occasions including being voted one of the NBA’s best dressed players. Jalen has proved to be more than just a professional athlete making him an all-around superstar on and off the hardwood. This mogul will always be known as “The Natural.”