Jalen Rose was one of the longest-running NBA commentators in the history of ESPN before his layoff in 2023.
Rose was a fixture on the network’s studio programming and game broadcasts, and launched a radio show and digital video series through his work with Bill Simmons’ Grantland earlier in his stint at ESPN.
When Rose departed the Worldwide Leader two-plus years ago, it was the end of a long chapter with Rose as one of the faces of ESPN’s basketball coverage.
Yet as ESPN continued to spin its wheels in the years since Rose’s departure, Rose has set himself up with a new basketball commentary gig that will see him, ironically, return to the network’s airwaves this week.
On Friday, according to Sports Media Watch’s Jon Lewis, Rose will appear as a fill-in panelist on Inside the NBA in place of Shaquille O’Neal. The show will appear on ESPN as part of the network’s agreement to license Inside from TNT Sports.
Rose was hired by TNT Sports last year to appear on its studio coverage of Big 12 men’s basketball. He first filled in on Inside in a memorable appearance in late 2024, when the show aired more regularly as part of TNT’s NBA coverage. Rose also joined the network’s NBA All-Star game broadcast last winter.
The journeyman point guard, who starred for Michigan’s Fab Five in the 1990s, also contributes to Big Ten men’s basketball coverage for NBC and Peacock.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.