2005: I.B.CONCEPT MAGAZINE – JRose Hits the Big Apple
June 23, 2008
October 2005 — Jalen Rose visits the Big Apple (and we visit him)… A
lot could be said about Jalen Rose 6’9" guard of the Toronto Raptors,
clutch player with a reliable jump shot, he can create his own shot off
the dribble, get into paint and have a good handle for his height. But
to this writer and die hard Knicks fan, he was the enemy. Didn’t he
play for Indiana with that Miller guy? Didn’t he create his own last
minute heroic shots that drove a stake into the hearts of Knicks fans?
So when I sat down to do this interview for IB, you couldn’t imagine
how hard it was to accept the fact that he was one of the most
personable and down to earth individual you would want to meet (can’t
let my brothers know, they?ll call me traitor). Here is a brief
interview with Jalen Rose before our exclusive photo shoot.
IB: What music are you playing in your ride right now?
J: Well I’m a occasional DJ – I got mad respect for these artists so I
won’t insult them by saying I rap..(laughing) I know limitations – I
just love music man, right now I’m in a old school mood, so I have
Bootsie Collins and Shalamar bumping in my ride right now – I told you
I was in a old school – I even have a 59 Bentley.
IB: How do you get in shape coming off the off season?
J: I do a lot of cardio and weights
IB: Who is the best player you’ve played with in the NBA?
J: I guess I would have to say MJ (Michael Jordon) of the 98 Bulls.
IB: You can play 3 positions on the court, point guard, 2-guard, and small forward. Which do you see yourself as?
J: I can’t really say, I love to play all the positions- they create a
personal challenge for me and it only help to improve my game
IB: In college, you were apart of Michigan’s fab five, along with
Juwan Howard and Chris Webber, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King. Are you all
still close?
J: Oh yeah, we still homies as a matter of fact we hand as often as we can when we can.
IB: Who did you think was the most talented of you guys in college?
J: AH, I gotta say Chris, with his size at his age in college he dominated his position ? he was that big since high school.
IB: Including yourself, create your NBA starting fab five?
J: Gotta put on my man Al, gotta put on Kobe, I’ll play the 3 guard with Tim Duncan as power forward and Shaq as center.
IB: What is your favorite arena to play in and you can’t say MSG, everyone says that?
J: But I gotta say MSG its world renowned – that and LA arena is where you see all the celebrities.
IB: Which is your favorite road trip?
J: Any one day trip is good where we can get in and get out and we don’t have to pack much.
IB: In the last few years we’ve seen the fans do some ugly shit,
from the wife beaters on poster boards in Boston when Jason Kidd was
there, to the fight last November in Detroit. Which is the worst thing
you’ve seen the fans do?
J: As the as those things are, I would have to say the fire bomb at
that soccer game – those guys are serious about their soccer. Some
players and their families get death threats if they blow a game.
IB: You’ve played on some teams that had intense rivalries most
notably the Indiana team a few years back, when they had the big
playoff things with the Knicks. What is your favorite basketball
rivalry of all time?
J: The Lakers/Celtics and the Celtics/Bulls.
IB: What is the next move for you after basketball? Front office?
Coaching? Clothing Design? Do you see yourself doing some music in the
future?
J: I see myself as a jack of all trades. I have a degree in
communications. I definitely wouldn’t mind doing some
broadcasting/sports commentating. Right now I just want to stay in
public view and weigh my options as they come.
IB: I want to thank you for your time; you make it hard for this Knicks fan to hate you.
J: Ah man, it’s all good – we all have our teams. I was a Piston fan growing up in Michigan, I hated the Celtics.
IB: Yeah, well I hate them too. -IBC
