Jalen Rose

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Lore & Background

Rose was a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines' 'Fab Five' that reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA championship games. He led the Fab Five in scoring his freshman year, averaging 17.6 points per game, and set the school freshman scoring record with 597 total points. He was selected 13th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 NBA draft. After two years, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. With the Pacers, he helped the team reach three consecutive Eastern Conference finals and the 2000 NBA Finals, winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award in the 1999–2000 season, the first time in Pacers history. He later played for the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns.

In Their Own Story

The roar of Market Square Arena was deafening as Jalen Rose caught the pass on the wing. It was Game 5 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, and the Pacers were locked in a battle with the New York Knicks. Rose pump-faked, sending his defender flying, then stepped into a smooth 18-footer. The net snapped. He turned and flashed a confident grin at the crowd, his signature headband soaked in sweat. That night, he scored 24 points, leading Indiana to a series-clinching win and their first-ever Finals berth. For Pacers fans, that moment—Rose's cool, effortless brilliance—was pure magic.

Reader's Guide

Rose was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Jeanne Rose and Jimmy Walker, a No. 1 overall NBA draft pick and two-time All-Star. He never met his father in person, though they spoke several times by phone. Rose attended Southwestern High School in Detroit, where his teammates included future NBA players Voshon Lenard and Howard Eisley. In the University of Michigan basketball scandal, Rose was the only one of the players called before the grand jury not listed as having received large amounts of money, but he confessed to receiving occasional gifts of a couple hundred dollars in spending money.

Did You Know?

• Rose's name was created by his mother Jeanne by combining his father's name James and his uncle's name Leonard.
• Rose became the first player in eight years other than Reggie Miller to lead the Pacers in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game in the 1999–2000 season.
• During the 2000 NBA Finals, Rose averaged 25 points per game, including a 32-point effort in a game five win.
• Rose intentionally placed his foot under Kobe Bryant in Game 2 of the 2000 NBA Finals, which he later admitted to, and Bryant missed Game 3 due to injury.
• Rose scored a career-high 44 points and hit a game-winning shot for the Chicago Bulls on March 16, 2002.