What happens when a Detroit legend never forgets his roots? In this episode of The BOBcast, Bob sits down with Jalen Rose, a native of Northwest Detroit and former NBA star, to uncover the courage behind Rose’s journey from the "Fab Five" at Michigan, to 13 seasons in the NBA, and a successful sports broadcasting career. The discipline and work ethic that shaped his journey ultimately inspired him to create the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, an open-enrollment, tuition-free public charter high school on Detroit’s Northwest side that has already graduated more than 1,000 scholars and is now preparing to expand its impact even further.
What happens when a Detroit legend never forgets his roots? In this episode of The BOBcast, Bob sits down with Jalen Rose, a native of Northwest Detroit and former NBA star, to uncover the courage behind Rose’s journey from the "Fab Five" at Michigan, to 13 seasons in the NBA, and a successful sports broadcasting career. The discipline and work ethic that shaped his journey ultimately inspired him to create the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, an open-enrollment, tuition-free public charter high school on Detroit’s Northwest side that has already graduated more than 1,000 scholars and is now preparing to expand its impact even further.
Time Stamps
Jalen Rose's Commitment to Education and Leadership
:00- Jalen discusses the importance of securing cell phones in the morning and wearing uniforms, drawing a parallel to attending a Dave Chappelle concert.
:56- Bob Riney introduces Jalen, highlighting his achievements and his commitment to education through the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA).
1:54- Jalen expresses gratitude for the partnership with Henry Ford Health and the impact of JRLA, mentioning the graduation of 1000 scholars and the current enrollment of over 400 students.
2:39- Jalen explains the educational philosophy of JRLA, focusing on growing young people to ninth-grade levels and providing support throughout high school and college.
Jalen Rose's Family Influence and Leadership
3:28- Jalen shares his family background, including his grandfather's entrepreneurial spirit and his grandmother's role as a disciplinarian.
4:09- He describes his family's blue-collar roots and the influence of his mother's work at Chrysler and local bars on his work ethic.
4:27- Jalen recounts personal anecdotes, such as promising himself to make it to the NBA and adopting the nickname "Dr. J" after Julius Erving.
6:25- Bob admires Jalen's deep commitment to changing lives and not seeking superficial recognition.
The Real Detroit and Community Involvement
6:41- Jalen discusses the concept of "the real Detroit," emphasizing the importance of community members who are deeply invested in the city.
7:15- Bob shares his experience of exploring Detroit by bicycle, highlighting the different perspectives one can gain from seeing the city's neighborhoods.
7:38- Jalen agrees, noting that many people only see the downtown or Eastern Market areas, missing the broader picture of the city.
Leadership and Sports
8:28- Jalen believes that leadership traits and grit are fostered through sports and being a Detroiter.
8:43- Jalen shares his experience of being a team captain at various levels, which he considers a significant compliment from his teammates.
8:52- Bob mentions the expansion of JRLA to the former Kingswood hospital site, which will allow the academy to expand its reach significantly.
9:22- Jalen Rose outlines his vision for the new facility, including a lower school for grades five through eight and a home basketball game for the first time.
Expanding JRLA's Reach and Impact
10:01- Jalen Rose discusses the importance of expanding JRLA's mission to influence more young people and provide resources beyond high school.
10:19- Jalen explains the nine-through-16 model, which includes secondary education and sports facilities, and his goal of raising $25 million to open the lower school by 2028.
10:54- Jalen emphasizes the unique aspect of JRLA, which continues to support students in various educational paths, unlike traditional high schools.
11:26- Bob and Jalen discuss the challenges of social media and the importance of setting high expectations for students.
Future Vision for JRLA
12:52- Jalen envisions JRLA as the most unique five-through-16 model in the United States, with a significant impact on young lives.
12:59- Jalen expresses gratitude for the partnership with Henry Ford Health and the opportunities it has provided.
13:20- Bob reflects on the episode and add his optimistic about the future of JRLA and its potential to transform lives.
Jalen Rose 00:00
We secure the cell phones in the morning. My expectation for you is to wear a uniform, and those two topics, don't think I didn't have people trying to kick me in the butt about it, because I did. If you go to a Dave Chappelle concert and they take your phone, you'll give it away happily. We're creating the same expectation here.
Bob Riney 00:19
Welcome back to The BOBcast. I'm your host Bob Riney, President and CEO of Henry Ford Health, and I am thrilled to have you joining us today. The BOBcast is where Detroit's future comes into view. It is where you'll hear the big ideas, bold voices and crucial conversations that are shaping our city, our region, and beyond. Real and unapologetically focused on creating a stronger, more vibrant future. With grit and grace, this podcast introduces you to the relentless visionaries who are driving change and tackling some of the biggest challenges we face today. And today, we are joined by a proud Detroiter, NBA legend, standout member of Michigan's iconic Fab Five. Doesn't that take you back?
Announcer 01:06
Cornet goes to Jalen Rose dish to Jackson. That was unselfish. Remember, you're watching five freshmen out there.
Bob Riney 01:15
Respected NBC Sports analyst, entrepreneur, author, philanthropist and a man who has never forgotten where he came from, Jalen Rose. Perhaps most inspiring, though, is his commitment to education and opportunity, including the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy right here in our city, empowering Detroit's next generation of thinkers, leaders and change makers. Jalen, we are honored to have you, honored to celebrate what you do each and every day on behalf of our young people. Thank you for being here. You lift us up on and off the court.
Jalen Rose 01:54
Thank you. I appreciate that. It's an honor to be a part of The BOBcast, and it's an honor to partner with Henry Ford Health.
Bob Riney 02:03
Life's about partnerships.
Jalen Rose 02:04
It is. I'm very grateful that you guys extended a bridge to the work I've done with JRLA for 15 years. Initially, people thought opening a school for a former high school All-American and college All-American to an NBA player, a lot of people thought it was a novelty.
JRLA Video 02:24
Welcome to JRLA. Get it.
Jalen Rose 02:27
And now I look at our work that we've done in graduating 1000 scholars and 400 plus that are currently in the building.
JLRA video 02:36
What's the educational philosophy? A lot of times you get young people at ninth grade that aren't necessarily reading or doing math at a ninth grade level. So our goal has to be grow.
Jalen Rose 02:45
We are in our 15th school year, but because I converted a middle school into a high school, we've never played a home basketball game, so I used to always joke with the team like we the Harlem Globetrotters. You know, we just go on the road, and we're the show.
JLRA video 03:01
Not only are we servicing young people the four years they're in high school, but we also do the exact same thing while they're in college.
Jalen Rose 03:07
Now this partnership with Henry Ford Health not only puts me in position to educate more young people, influence them in and out of the classroom, life skills, social skills, etiquette, but also our sports program. So I'm forever grateful to Henry Ford Health.
Bob Riney 03:21
When you look back at your upbringing, where'd you get your leadership DNA from?
Jalen Rose 03:28
I have a strong family dynamic, like I idolized my grandfather. He was an entrepreneur. He had a penny candy store that he converted the garage into, and so he was always well dressed Pico hats. He was always immaculate. And we called him Big Daddy, and he started saying, "Don't smoke, cool. Be cool." My grandmother was a nurse. I lost her maybe a handful of years ago. She was 103 years old.
Bob Riney 03:54
Wow.
Jalen Rose 03:54
She was the disciplinarian of the family. She's the person, if you come to my house right now, there's a reason why everything's in Tupperware, Ziploc. You open the refrigerator, there's no smell. And then just being a Detroiter, multiple members of my family worked at the plant. You know, we're a blue collar town. My family embodied that. So grandfather over 30 years. Uncles over 30 years. Uncle Paramore, Uncle Lynn. My mother worked at Chrysler as a key puncher for over 20 years. Coming from a family like that taught me no days off. I worked at ESPN for 18 years.
Jalen Rose on ESPN 04:29
We understand that the Cavs are 8-and-0 but no team is perfect. That's why you go out and play the game. And if there's something that...
Jalen Rose 04:37
I never once took a day off and that being inside of me, I think is a product, literally, of my upbringing, of watching my brothers, Bill and Kev, watching my uncles, everybody just try to do what we can to get to it. My mother also on the weekends to get extra money, worked at the Chez Beaux Lounge on Livernois and worked at Baker's a little bit on Livernois. Yes, legendary. That's why I have a billboard of my mother right there on 8 Mile on Livernois because we used to be all up and down Livernois. I was playing at St Cecilia, and then I was playing at the Boy's Club on Michigan and St Cecilia's on Greenfield, and she was at the Chez Beaux Lounge. And there were times on Fridays, I used to catch the bus from school to go meet my mother at the bar, but I didn't want to tell that to my classmates or my friends, because I didn't want them to judge me. Reminds me of the time when I was in the back of my mother's Chrysler Cordova. We was leaving the Chez Beaux, and she used to always have me sit behind the passenger seat, not behind the driver's seat, and for whatever reason, I was being silly, and I sat behind her, and she's like, "get on that side. get on that side" and I put my hand down, I felt the ground. "Wait, we got a hole in the back of the car," like the Flintstones.
Flintstone's Theme 05:51
Jalen Rose 05:54
Then I was like, "You know what Ma, I'm gonna make it to the NBA one day, I'm gonna buy you a house. I'm gonna buy you a car. I promise I am." And after that point, I started calling myself Dr J after Julius Erving, because he was the guy in the late 70s.
Announcer 06:11
Unbelievable. Julius Erving. Watch this fantastic move by the Doctor.
Bob Riney 06:17
You had a vision.
Jalen Rose 06:18
And it came to fruition.
Announcer 06:20
Out of the corner, Jalen Rose...
Bob Riney 06:22
One of the things that I really do admire about you, and I've looked at your 15 year journey that you described, there's nothing superficial about you or about anything that you put in place. You're not doing it for a headline. You're doing it to change lives.
Jalen Rose 06:39
Absolutely and the one thing that's unique about Detroit that I've learned is there's a term "The Real Detroit." What that means is people that are still here 10 toes down, putting on for the city, whether they're famous or not, whether they're an athlete or entertainer or not, they're not just swooping in when the Lions play on Sunday and they show them on the camera, and it's like, Hey, look at Detroit. No, that's not the real Detroit. The real Detroiters are the ones that are here right now on a Friday, rolling up our sleeves in all areas of life, trying to influence our town.
Bob Riney 07:14
One of the things that I enjoy doing a lot is a bicycle ride and I pick all different neighborhoods in the city. Sometimes I don't even have a plan when I take off, but seeing a city while you're walking or bike riding and real neighborhoods is such a different perspective than just driving down a main thoroughfare.
Jalen Rose 07:38
Absolutely, you get a chance to see all areas of the city. I do that a lot when I'm driving downtown, instead of just getting on the freeway, I'll take the boulevard, I'll take Grand River, I'll take Woodward, just so I can admire a lot of what's great about the city. Detroit has so much character but what ends up happening is a lot of people that either live here or cover Detroit or even swoop in to tell our story, they're only telling the story of downtown or telling the story of Eastern Market. They're not doing what you're doing. You're riding down streets that should have 30 houses, that might have eight houses.
Bob Riney 08:16
You're right. Let's move on to leadership. How much of your leadership came from the basketball court?
Jalen Rose 08:24
I believe that any leadership traits, any tough grit that come through being a Detroiter, also get fostered through sports. You have to earn the respect of your coaches, of your teammates, of the audience. I've been really fortunate on every level that I've played. I've been a captain of my team, and that's probably one of the greatest compliments that any teammates could ever bestow upon a teammate.
Bob Riney 08:52
The former Kingswood Hospital site, just off 8 Mile Road, one of the things that Henry Ford Health has been so proud to provide as you expand the JRLA and move to that former hospital.
TV news report 09:07
In just a few years, this former hospital will be transformed into the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy High School, and the new location will allow the academy to expand their reach significantly.
Bob Riney 09:19
What's the most exciting to you about that?
Jalen Rose 09:22
There are a lot of things that these young people are navigating. And so being able to graduate 1000 and currently influence another 400, so many things make the Henry Ford relationship special, but it allows me to expand the mission. And so now I'll turn the current facility that we have actually into a lower school where I'll get the young people at fifth grade to eighth grade, that's going to change their trajectory. So now, when I get them at ninth grade, 90% of them, unlike right now, will be doing math and reading at a ninth grade level, because right now, they are not. The second thing is going to allow me to influence more young people. So in my mind, the new facility I have around 500 scholars, high school students. We're a nine through 16 model, which means we'll have room for our secondary education. We'll also have actual facilities for sports. We will actually have a home basketball game. You guys have given me the opportunity now to be inspired to get out here over the next couple of years. I need to raise $25 million. My goal is to raise the money by '27-'28, open the Lower School, five through eight at JRLA, still 400 plus scholars, the nine through 12 at Kingswood, off 8 Mile in Mendota, another 500 scholars, and you'll have one of the first fully functioning five through 16 models in the United States of America. And this is what I want to point out to everyone: I don't care what high school you went. Once you walked across that stage, they didn't help you anymore. The only thing they ask you for is a donation or to come back to the 10 year reunion. That's it. They do not provide any resources to you once you graduate. That's what makes us different. Two year, four year college, trade school, university, military, cosmetology, whatever they decide to get into, we're still there to provide finances, resources and give them the opportunity to matriculate in the secondary version of their lives.
Bob Riney 11:27
Social media has helped you in your own career. It's helped a lot of us in that but, boy, the education process has been really challenged with how do you deal with social media as a disrupter to the discipline you're talking about?
Jalen Rose 11:43
A lot of times, young people can rise to your expectation if you hold them to it. So what we at JRLA challenge our young people are is, while you're not paying $50,000 a year like the kids at Country Day are, they still have an expectation. So their expectation is to wear a uniform. And so my expectation for you is to wear a uniform. I know we're a public school. I know they're not doing it at Cass and Renaissance and King. I know they're not doing it at other public schools in the city, but we have a different expectation for you. We secure the cell phones in the morning. This is the second school year for us doing it. And those two topics, don't think I didn't have people trying to kick me in the butt about it, because I did. If your son or daughter went to Liggett, they put that blazer on happily. If you go to a Dave Chappelle concert and they take your phone, you'll give it away happily. We're creating this same expectation here.
Bob Riney 12:44
Final question Jalen, 5,10 years from now, what do you want to be on stage talking about JLRA?
Jalen Rose 12:52
That's an easy one. I want to be talking about how we're the most unique five through 16 model in the United States of America, and how my partnership with Henry Ford Health helped make that happen, helped change so many lives, and how we're going to now expand and do more, how we're going to now, all of a sudden, end up being a K through 16 one day, and we're going to continue to influence young people.
Bob Riney 13:16
I am so optimistic that we're going to see that goal come to fruition. Jalen Rose is not just the Fab Five in basketball, but this is the Fab Five in leadership. Thank you so much for being here.
Jalen Rose 13:30
Forever grateful for the partnership. Thank you.
Bob Riney 13:33
Let's do great things together.
Jalen Rose 13:35
We will.
Bob Riney 13:39
You know, I absolutely loved this conversation, because anytime you get a chance to showcase a world class athlete that has so much incredible depth and conviction about making a difference in life and really taking the privilege of that celebrity status and turning it into energy that can transform young lives, and the conviction in him is just stunning to watch and listen to. If you enjoyed this episode, please click follow so you will never miss a future episode. Share us with your friends and leave us a five star rating and review, which will help others find us. If you have suggestions for a topic or a guest, email us at bobcast@hfhs.org. Remember, every action we take today is a step towards the future we're building together. Let's keep striving, keep believing and keep moving forward. Let's use positive momentum to carry us through an era that's filled with troubling questions. Until next time, take care and keep making a difference.