ESPN analyst Jalen Rose came from humble beginnings and epitomized what late Brooklyn MC Notorious B.I.G. rhymed in Sky’s The Limit when he talked about going from ‘ashy to classy.’
He’s had quite the career and transitioned well at every step of the way.
He started from the gritty basketball courts of Detroit, to Fab Five stardom at the University of Michigan to then a 13-year career in the NBA as a 6’8 small forward that could score at will and distribute as a point forward and finally transitioning as an ESPN sports analyst.
Rose dug deep into his evolution in part 2 of his interview on Scoop B Radio. He dug deep into the significance of the University of Michigan’s Fab 5 and their influence on culture. Heralding the University of Michigan’s this-close-to-heaven Fab Five in the 90s with teammates Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King, they introduced the world to looking good on the court while also playing even better.
That self-expression transcended race, creed, gender and socio-economic status.
Many basketball purists were critical, and even downright nasty toward their early following.
“We looked different, we sounded different, we were a lot more brash,” Rose told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
“When we became mainstream, people didn’t know that we weren’t malicious, we weren’t mean, we were just different. We were just loud! We were giving you guys something that you hadn’t seen before. So I used to take it personal because I had to fight that off for years.”
