Jalen Rose has influenced the game of basketball in myriad ways, from his days with the Fab Five at Michigan or as a broadcaster after his playing career was done.
But in the history of NBA odds, Rose solidified himself as an impactful player. Rose, an ambassador for the BetMGM online sportsbook, played in the NBA for 13 seasons and accomplished a plethora of feats. Here are five which stand out.
Jalen Rose Makes NBA All-Rookie Team
After an All-American career at Michigan, Rose was selected 13th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 NBA Draft. And he showed glimpses of the player he would become.
In 81 games and 37 starts, Rose averaged 8.2 points per game. He made 45% of his shots while making 32% from 3-point range. He added 2.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 0.8 steals per game.
That season helped him earn All-Rookie accolades. But it would be only the beginning for Rose.
Jalen Rose Wins Most Improved Player Award
Following two seasons in Denver, Rose was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Every season there, his scoring production increased.
That eventually earned him the Most Improved Player Award for his performance during the 1999-2000 season. Coming off a year in which he averaged 11 points per game, Rose averaged 18 to earn the accolade.
That season, then a 27-year-old small forward, Rose made 47% of his shots and 39% of his 3s with an effective field goal percentage of 50% and an 83% mark from the free-throw line. He added 4.8 rebounds, four assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks in 37 minutes per outing.
Jalen Rose Scores 32 Points in NBA Finals Game
Rose continued his momentum in the playoffs following the 1999-00 season.
The Pacers reached the NBA Finals that year and faced the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Rose notched a playoff-best 20 points per game during that run, including a 40-point single-game best in the postseason.
Rose was arguably at his best on the sport’s biggest stage in Game 5. He scored 32 points as the Pacers staved off elimination with a 120-87 win.
Rose made 12 of 18 shots and 4 of 5 from deep to go with six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a +29 plus/minus.
Jalen Rose Scores Career-High 44 Points
During the 2001-2002 season, Rose recorded the two highest-scoring games of his career. And he did so for two different teams.
On Oct. 30, 2001, Rose tallied 43 points in a contest at the New Jersey Nets. He was 18-for-27 shooting while making 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. Rose was traded to the Chicago Bulls later that season, but that didn’t stop him from scoring at a remarkable clip.
Rose’s career-best scoring day was March 16, 2002, when playing at Houston. He racked up 44 points on 18-of-34 shooting while going 3 for 4 from 3 and making all five of his free-throw attempts. He added 11 rebounds for a double-double to go with six assists, two steals and a block.
Jalen Rose Hits Game-Winner With Toronto Raptors
After playing 16 games for the Bulls in the 2003-04 season, Rose was traded to the Toronto Raptors. Then midway through the 2005-06 season, he was sent to the New York Knicks.
But Rose made his presence felt before he left Toronto. In one of his final games in a Raptors uniform, Rose hit a 19-foot jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining in overtime for a 124-123 win over the Sacramento Kings.
That was Rose’s second-to-last season. He averaged 12.3 points that year between the two teams.
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