The 1973 Curtis Mayfield classic that serves as Jalen Rose’s current ringback tone could sum up his career: “Superfly.” Basketball would not look the way it does today — a harbinger of street style and hip-hop trends — without Jalen Rose. In 1991, as part of the University of Michigan’s so-called Fab Five, he helped revolutionize the sport’s attitude. Now, the 13-year NBA veteran — formerly of Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers — serves as an ESPN and ABC analyst on NBA Countdown. With the NBA Finals looming, Rose, now 43, talks about why ballers love bars.
Drake is a “global ambassador” for the Toronto Raptors. How’s he doing?
I think he’s doing a really good job with that title. I appreciate how corporate America has evolved over the past 20 years, to go from acknowledging hip-hop to actually accepting it. The thing is, Drake has a day job — it’s selling records and doing shows. Say I’m dropping my album, like Views, and get to be on Ellen and Saturday Night Live. If the NBA playoffs conflict, I’m choosing my craft. That’s how I became the ambassador. That’s how I see it.
It’s no secret that you’re a hip-hop junkie yourself. Have you gotten a chance to listen to Views?
I did. I was happy about it. I anticipated it like everyone else. Who am I bumpin’ right now? Really, for me, it’s Drake, it’s Kendrick [Lamar], it’s Royce Da 5’9’’, it’s Big Sean and it’s J. Cole. Probably some Pusha T.
Drake’s ‘Views’ No. 1 for Third Week on Billboard 200
What do you love about those rappers?
Though I’m showing my age here, I’ve listened to so much rap music: starting with [Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s] “The Message” and Run-DMC “Rock Box” in the early ‘80s, Public Enemy’s Yo! Bum Rush The Show…all the way to the present. Just being a child of the ‘70s and ‘80s, seeing how hip-hop has evolved in our country first-hand — while I love the beat, and the head nods and the hooks, the thing keeps me coming back is when I gotta rewind, and say, “I need to learn that verse.” And those guys I just mentioned make me do that. When you say, “Now, hold on, I’m not taking this out till I learn this song” — that’s the art of doing it.
Who picks the songs on ABC’s NBA Countdown?
It’s collaborative. The thing’s that unique about the people that work on NBA Countdown — Amina Hussein, our coordinating producer, and [the director], a gentleman named Ty Frison — is that we are all in our 40s, and we happen to be black. We obviously grew up appreciating ‘80s and ‘90s music, and more importantly, understanding the demos of NBA basketball in a league that’s 80 percent black. It’s the flavor that comes from having Mobb Deep on the opener for the NBA Finals with “Survival of the Fittest,” or DJ Premier and Royce [Da 5’9’’ on NBA Countdown]. When you see [Golden State Warriors star] Draymond Green in the warm-ups, it’s no accident D-Nice‘s “They Call Me D-Nice” is playing. We work together to create the same thing that happens when you go to a movie — so that the soundtrack used reflects what you see on the screen.
The Thunder have shocked everyone by beating the Warriors — the best regular season team in the league — and now lead the series 3-1. How did this happen?
The Warriors have been the team that has not only dictated pace, but created balance on offense and defense — so how do you take them out of their comfort zone? For the Thunder, they did a couple things. One, they limited their turnovers — they only had 11 in Game 1. Two, they won the rebound battle. Three, they limited the Warriors and the Splash Brothers [Steph Curry and Klay Thompson] offensively and lastly, they got to the free throw line — which helps slow down the game. They’ve done a really good job of taking the Warriors out of some of the things that normally make them a dominant team.
Who was the underdog going into the conference finals?
I attached a Biggie rap to [Oklahoma City Thunder’s] Kevin Durant this season: “The year’s new/I lay my game flat/I want my spot back.” Yes, [critics are still] talking about Lebron. They’re still talking about Steph Curry and him becoming the unanimous MVP. But [Durant] was just the MVP of the league two seasons ago — he just injured his step. With him in, it’s do or die for the Warriors.
A version of this article originally appeared in the June 4 issue of Billboard.