2007, April 1: Sacramento Bee – 24 Seconds With Jalen Rose
June 24, 2008
Phoenix Suns swingman and former member of Michigan’s Fab Five…
Q: It’s been a long time, but can you still see the fruits of what you guys did in college?
A: Every time you turn on the TV and see some black shoes and black
socks, I wished I got trademark dollars for it. Every boxer, every
football team, college, high school, pro. The baggy shorts. If
basketball was as much of a business then as it is now, I guess we’d
own all that stuff.
Q: Did anyone ever think at the time about copyrights?
A: Not at all. We were snotty-nosed kids, just playing the games,
following coach (Steve) Fisher’s direction. Just wondering what time
practice was. We let Mitch Albom (who wrote a book on the Fab Five) do
that.
Q: You have a good team in Phoenix. Detroit is having success. You could see them in the Finals. What would that mean for you?
A: That would be amazing to get a chance to play against my hometown
team. Obviously I’m not getting a ton of minutes now. But I feel like
if we make it to that level, I feel like I’ll be a factor. Just being a
pro and having to stay ready, you have to give yourself some kind of
motivation. I think Detroit is the class of the East. They’ve been the
most consistent team. I think they’ve got probably the best starting
five in the league, along with ours because we have three All-Stars.
For that to happen, it would be amazing. I’d get the chance to sleep in
my own bed when I go home and get a chance to hopefully win a ring.
That’s the most important thing in my career at this point.
Q: When you were trying to figure out where you wanted to go (after
getting a buyout with the Knicks), what ultimately swayed you to come
here?
A: Hindsight is 20-20 with Lasik surgery, I’ll say that. But at the end
of the day, it’s a great bunch of guys, and we do have an opportunity
to win. It still remains to be seen what happens to me individually,
but I still have no second thoughts about my decision. Hopefully I’ll
win a championship out of it. But the one thing about watching and
getting DNPs, it doesn’t put miles on your knees. Because of that, I
guess I still get to play longer.
Q: But can you not help but keep an eye on Miami (the other consideration as a free agent) and wonder what would have been?
A: I can’t look back. It was a decision I made.
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