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Jalen Rose is the starting forward for the Indiana Pacers and has a great chance of being named most improved player of the N. B. A. His coach and longtime legend Larry Bird said that he might just be the best player on his roster as of the 2000 season. Life was not always this great for Jalen and his childhood proves it. The first time I saw Jalen play was when I was watching a show on high school basketball players on ESPN.
The way he played and involved his teammates made me like him ever since. From that day on, I tried to keep my eye out and ever time I got a chance I would watch him on national television. Jalen Rose was labeled a wild one right from the start and his birth could be some sense way. He was not born in the hospital like most kids, but his mother had birth in the taxicab right outside of it. He grew up in the city of Detroit, Michigan, which was known for its rough life rep. He only had one parent, that being his mother, and his father was the famous point guard for the Detroit Pistons, Jimmy Walker.
His father left the scene when he found out that a child was on the way. Jalen still to this day hates him for it and tries not to talk to him. The only good thing about his father was that he watched tapes of him and plays the way he did and even better. Growing up in the hood was tough for Jalen and his mother did not like it at all. Rose almost lost his life to the hood when he went to buy milk for his mom and while he was at the store a man tried to rob it. The man fired shots and missed Jalen, but this was too close for him and his mother.
So she moved him to a private school named Southwestern High to get him out of the crime. This is where his game and love for basketball blossomed. He became a 68, 180 lb point guard, which created mismatches for anybody trying to guard him. By his senior year he was rated one of the top three players in high school ball throughout the country. His quickness was unmatchable and along with his shooting skills he was unstoppable in high school ranks. This is why many top colleges recruited him and some even bribed him money to come.
Rose stayed close to home and chose the University of Michigan to play college ball. Jalen would join Chris Webber, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, and Jan Howard to be known as the Fab Five. They would make a part of history being known as the greatest class ever recruited. This is where Jalen would get a bad reputation for his cockiness and rude behavior on the court.
The media had a field day with the way he and his fellow teammates dressed, played, and acted on the court. Jalen was responsible for most of it; one was by getting the idea to wear shorts that go four inches below the knee. He was also criticized for the way he talked trash to other players on the opposing team. This was part of this game to get in the opponents head, but the media saw it as wrong, rude, and irresponsible.
This weight would be on his shoulders for the next four years until he proved his love for the game and by no means was he disrespecting it. Rose would lead his team in assists and steals for the next three years at Michigan. He was also second in scoring behind Webber, who is now too in the pros along side Rose. Jalen went to Michigan with dreams and got fame and heartbreak out of it.
He would lose twice in the national championship game, once coming up a time-out short of winning. Rose made his mind up to enter the draft and was selected 13 th in the draft by the Denver Nuggets with high hopes and little time to achieve. The atmosphere of pro basketball was not what Jalen imagined and it pushed back his game to where he was uncomfortable playing his lifelong position, point guard. All the fans wondered why Jalen was not playing like he had in college, but there was no real answer.
The Nuggets continued to lose and Jalen's performance did not get any better. His rookie season was a bust compared to what people thought he would do. He averaged 8 points, 3 assists per game, which was low numbers for Rose. The best thing that possibly could have happen to Rose happened in the 1997 season when the Nuggets got tired of waited for him to perform and traded the underachiever to the Indiana Pacers. This is where the legend of Larry Bird would help this disappointed Rose and give him the best tool, confidence.
The first change was having Jalen come off the bench and play the forward position. This was different because Rose always had played the point, but gradually he played better. As he started to believe in the coach, system and himself his potential started to shine. It didnt take long before his fans noticed the change and he was finally getting some recognition that he deserved. His stats jumped to almost 12 points a game with 6 rebounds and he was coming off the bench. As his game continued to rise, his playing time grew also to where he was playing in crunch time where it matters in the N.
B. A. The biggest breakout for Rose was playoff time where he blow up and help lead the Pacers to the Eastern Conference second round. He had his career game against the Knicks in the second round with 24 points and he only missed one shot from the field. This was not only impressive, but he got nominations for player of the week and month. His personal achievement ended on a good note and the outlook for the 99 - 00 season was one with high hopes.
Well, someone forgot to tell Rose that he was sixth-man and he play like he was an all-star for the beginning of the new season. Bird had no choice but to start his project and he knew this cocky lefty would not let him down. This season has been nothing but a dream for Jalen and has labeled himself as on of the premier players in the league. Rose averages around 19 points and 6 rebounds per outing. Serving numbers like this as caused everyone in the league to turn their heads when they see Rose play. The journey for him to get this far and be at this level of play has not been easy, but Jalen put the time in and made the outcome something special.
He has done so far what he has always done in the past and that is proving people wrong when they say hes not a good ballplayer. I always knew about Jalen Rose and researching him was not hard, but Ive gained from writing this. I have learned that no matter the circumstances, always try and never give up. Rose could of after his first two seasons in the pros. Im glad I realized this because I sometimes want to give up when things are tough.
The one thing I actually learned new was that even though he is big time now he doesnt forget his past friends. Rose writes on every pair of shoes Jimmy and Ray (Jimmy King, Ray Jackson) Jalen says he does it just in memory of how they helped all of them (Howard, Webber, Rose) make it to the N. B. A.
I respect a man who can handle the fame and not gloat about it. Jalen is full of stories of his past and I will keep looking to find more, but for now Ill just watch him shine in the playoffs. My role model has not let me down yet and I hope he continues to get better because Im proud of what this guy has achieved in life. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Larry Bird Second Round
