Former NBA player and Fab Five member Jalen Rose is a familiar face at the Detroit high school that bears his name. He regularly walks through the doors of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, greeting students in the cafeteria, which also serves as a shorter-than-regulation basketball court. Rose hugs students as they head to class and chats with faculty and staff in the hallways.
The 53-year-old former NBA guard and member of Michigan's iconic Fab Five opened the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in 2011, four years after retiring from the league. Despite his busy schedule, the 6-foot-8 Rose is a constant presence in the building and outside, where community members can pick up free food.
"Jalen is here all the time," said Jazmine Allen, principal and superintendent of the open enrollment, tuition-free public school in Detroit. "I think people think that the school is named after Jalen and he is just a celebrity. He actually is a normal fixture here. He is not just the board president and founder of the school. He works here and doesn't receive a paycheck."
Rose also declined payment for a recent speaking engagement, delivering the commencement address at the University of Michigan. To him, the experience was priceless. "This is actually my, 'Mama, I made it' moment," he said during his 22-minute speech to graduates on May 2 at Michigan Stadium, addressing tens of thousands in the stands.
Rose was raised by his mother, Jeanne Rose, who passed away in 2021, and grew up in poverty in Detroit. He did not meet his father, Jimmy Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1967 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, until attending his funeral in 2007. Rose intentionally wore No. 42 in the NBA to distinguish himself from Walker, who wore No. 24. He led Detroit Southwestern High School to state championships in 1990 and 1991, playing alongside future NBA players Voshon Lenard and Howard Eisley.
As the fifth member of the Fab Five to commit to Michigan, Rose wore No. 5 with the Wolverines. He was the point guard and team leader, guiding Michigan to NCAA finals in 1992 and 1993, where they lost to Duke and North Carolina, respectively. Rose was known for his swagger on one of the most charismatic teams in college sports history. "Jalen has always been the mouthpiece for the Fab Five," said Jimmy King, standing in a hallway at Rose's school, where Ivy League pennants inspire students and dress codes include blazers and khakis.
Rose left Michigan after his junior season and earned a degree from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2007, shortly after retiring from the NBA. He was drafted 13th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 1994, finished 13th in MVP voting in 2000, and won the Most Improved Player Award. He played 13 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, and New York Knicks, averaging over 14 points per game and earning more than $100 million.
Rose has also built a career as a TV analyst, podcast host, and executive producer of "South West High" on Tubi, the first project from a multi-media company he launched with Pistons owner Tom Gores. All this alongside his dedication to educating and feeding his community at a school with limited state funding.
Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, impressed by Rose's efforts, has donated money recognized by a plaque outside a classroom. "It would've been easier for him to say, 'I'm going to have a gym to play basketball,' or something recreational for kids to play and have fun," Thomas said. "Instead, he took on the challenge of opening a school to educate kids and build their minds, as opposed to just building their bodies. He has to raise funds to make all this happen because he's doing it independently."
When Cierra Gee moved from New Jersey to Detroit and chose to attend JRLA, she didn't recognize the school's namesake. "For the first few months I was like, 'Who is this tall guy everybody keeps high-fiving?'" recalled Gee, a senior who gained admission to 37 colleges. "I did not know who he was until my dad came to pick me up one day. He was like, 'Oh yeah, that's Jalen Rose, go get a picture.' I was like cool peeps. He doesn't walk around with a sense of entitlement."
Rose's school currently operates in a former elementary school, and he is evaluating the logistics and cost of moving it into a former hospital. "To pour back into the community, it just means everything to me," Rose said.
