2004: LA DAILY NEWS – BDSSP NBA Finals Correspondent

Already known around the league as one of the most versatile players,
Toronto Raptors guard Jalen Rose has shown he’s equally adept at
handling a microphone and grabbing interviews during the NBA Finals as
a reporter for Fox Sports Net’s "Best Damn Sports Show Period."

A show contributor during the regular season, Rose was so quick-witted
and humorous that they gave him a media credential, a producer and a
camera to collect sound bites from the Lakers and Detroit Pistons.

The funniest moment so far might have been when he stopped Lakers coach
Phil Jackson trying to drive out of practice during Monday’s off day
between Games 1 and 2, and Jackson called him "Jamal."

"I’m going to remember that next time we play (the Lakers)," Rose said
by phone before Thursday’s Game 3 in Detroit, his hometown. "I think I
just surprised him when I stopped his car. He got the ‘J’ part right
and knew I was from Michigan and once played for the Bulls. I think he
was going to call me ‘Juwan’ and it just came out ‘Jamal.’ "

Rose, who majored in radio, TV and film at Michigan during the "Fab
Five" days, thinks he’s a natural and says this gig has "given me an
appreciation of what the media has to do, and the real media members
haven’t given me a hard time about being a rookie. I appreciate that."

Rose’s recent offbeat segment for "BDSSP" was interviewing Staples
Center celebrities after Game 2, where he was at ease questioning the
likes of Steven Speilberg, Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington. But he
froze up when NBA legend Bill Russell came by.

John Entz, the "BDSSP" senior producer, says Rose "speaks his mind and
he’s a basketball fan who knows the game. When he goes to the players,
you can see them light up.