It all started long before Jalen Rose ever stepped onto an NBA court. While most kids grew up with their dad on the sidelines or at least in their corner, Rose didn’t meet his father—former No. 1 draft pick Jimmy Walker—until after he’d already made it to the league in 1995. “One of the greatest things that inspired me is that once I made it to the NBA is that I actually got to have a phone conversation with my biological father,” Rose shared in a recent sit-down with Tamron Hall. This delayed connection with his father became a significant, albeit belated, moment in his life.

But before that moment ever happened, Rose was already making noise on college basketball’s biggest stage. As part of Michigan’s legendary “Fab Five,” Rose helped lead the Wolverines to back-to-back national title games in ‘92 and ‘93. Just a freshman then, he was weeks away from playing in the Final Four when he received a letter—from his father. For the first time Jimmy Walker reached out to his son. And the timing? It couldn’t have been more emotional.

Still, while the Fab Five—Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson—had become a cultural phenomenon, there was turbulence behind the scenes. In 2003, Webber’s name was caught in a scandal involving improper loans from booster Ed Martin. As those headlines swirled, Rose clung to something else—his dad’s basketball card. He’d carried it for years, not just as a memory, but as a replacement.

“I never talked about the turbulence in my childhood,” Rose admitted. “And so to be a guy that had a father who was the number one pick in the 1967 NBA draft, and to never meet him, I used to walk around with his basketball card. I know young people nowadays probably don’t collect cards like we used to, but like I used to collect basketball cards and baseball cards and football cards, and I had my father’s card.”

Eventually, that card became more than just cardboard. “I used it for motivation and inspiration, but I also used it for spite, to be honest,” he said. “I see the picture. He wore 24, in high school, I wore 42, I sure did, because I was like, he gonna know my name one day, I’m gonna be somebody one day, and I’m gonna make him, you know, regret not being in my life type of thing. So I had that energy.” This duality of using his father’s image for both inspiration and resentment reveals the complex emotional landscape of Rose’s early life.

But while Rose’s father was never there for him, he got his strength from his mother, Jeannie Cassandra Rose.

Jeannie Rose always got Jalen Rose’s back

So while many remember Jalen Rose for his bold game and on-court presence, he’s never missed a chance to spotlight the real MVP in his life—his mother, Jeanne. Even though she’s no longer here, her impact still drives him. During the NBA Legends Brunch at All-Star Weekend, Rose emotionally recounted his journey.

Naturally, the moment turned emotional as Rose recalled a childhood promise. “You guys know life hits different when you’re born without your father’s name,” he said. Then, choking up, he added, “I’ll never forget saying to my mother, ‘I’m gonna make it to the league I promise. Imma be Dr. J. I promise.’” Turns out, that fourth-grader didn’t just dream—he made it. “Now, Dr. J knows my name… He has a grandson named Jalen. My mother created that name.”

Back then, the dream was born in the backseat of a worn-down Chrysler Cordoba. “She was working in the day at Chrysler and then working at the Shake Bowl Lounge in Detroit… I moved the mat and I could see the ground. And it was like the Flintstones.”

Yet Rose made sure not to stand alone. He gave his flowers to those who stood by him, especially his godfather, Dave Bing. “Thank you very much, Dave, for your love, your support, and always being there in my life.” 

Jalen Rose is a prime example of turning opportunities into success, proving that achieving your dreams is possible.