Rose works as a sports analyst for the networks ABC and ESPN. As an analyst on NBA Countdown, Get Up!, and co-host of the ESPN talk show Jalen & Jacoby with co-host David Jacoby, he has appeared on various television shows. He is also the founder of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, the author of the New York Times best-selling book Got to Give the People What They Want, and the producer of the ESPN documentary The Fab Five, among many other accomplishments.

Background

During the 1972 NBA All-Star Game, Rose's biological father, Jimmy Walker, was the first overall pick in the league's draft and started in the backcourt alongside Jerry West. Rose never met his father in person, despite the fact that they spoke on the phone several times. Walker passed away in July 2007 as a result of lung cancer.

He was named by Rose's mother, Jeanne, as a combination of his father's name, James, and Leonard's uncle's name.

Following Rose's success in the NCAA and NBA, Jalen rose to prominence among African-American boys born in the 1990s and early 2000s, becoming one of the most popular boys' names in the United States.

NBA Career

Rose played for six different NBA teams during his professional career, establishing a solid professional reputation after skipping his senior year at Michigan. In the 1994 NBA draft, he was selected by the Denver Nuggets as the 13th overall pick. For Mark Jackson, Ricky Pierce, and a first-round draft pick, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers after two seasons with the Denver Nuggets. He was also traded to the Pacers with Reggie Williams and a future first-round draft pick.

Despite his early successes in Indiana, he did not find widespread acceptance in the state.

While playing for Coach Larry Brown, Rose was a frequent registrant of DNPCDs (Did Not Participate – Coach's Decision). Rose also frequently expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that he was being used as a backup two-guard and small forward rather than his preferred position of point guard. It wasn't until Larry Bird took over as head coach that Rose really began to blossom, and he eventually realized that he was most effective as a small forward.

Rose was a member of the Indiana Pacers from 1996 to 1997, during which time he helped the team recover from a disastrous season and advance to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

With an average of 18.2 points per game for the eventual Eastern Conference Champions, Rose became the first player in eight years other than Reggie Miller to lead the Pacers in scoring. He also won the NBA Most Improved Player Award, which was the first time in Pacers history, during the 1999–2000 season. Following his contribution to his team's appearance in the 2000 NBA Finals, Rose went on to average 25 points per game in the six-game series, including a 32-point performance in the series' fifth game. The Pacers, on the other hand, were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the series. Another memorable moment from this playoff series was when Derrick Rose purposefully placed his foot underneath Kobe Bryant in game 2 while Bryant was landing back to the ground after shooting a jump shot, in an attempt to injure Bryant (which Rose later admitted to intentionally doing). After landing on Rose's foot in Game 3 of the series, Bryant would be forced to miss the remainder of the series.

During the 2001–02 season, Rose was traded to the Chicago Bulls along with Travis Best, Norman Richardson, and a future second-round draft pick in exchange for Brad Miller, Ron Mercer, Ron Artest, and Kevin Ollie, who were all acquired in exchange for Brad Miller.

During the 2003–04 season, Rose was traded to the Toronto Raptors, along with power forwards Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter, after appearing in only 16 games.

On February 3, 2006, midway through the 2005–06 season, he was traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for Antonio Davis, receiving a first-round draft pick as well as an undisclosed sum of money (believed to be around $3 million). He was reunited with Larry Brown, who had been his coach for one season with the Indiana Pacers. Rosa earned close to $16 million per year, so the Raptors were able to acquire an experienced center who could relieve some of Chris Bosh's rebounding responsibilities as a result of this trade. It was a home victory over the Sacramento Kings that marked Rose's final game and contribution for the Raptors, in which he scored the game-winning basket in overtime.

On November 3, 2006, Rose announced that he would be joining the Phoenix Suns as a player.

On November 7, it was officially announced that Rose had signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns worth $1.5 million. Rose left the NBA in 2007 with a career average of 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. He was a three-time All-Star.