Jalen Rose named ambassador for Retired Players Association

Former NBA guard Jalen Rose has been named the ambassador and spokesman for the National Basketball Retired Players Association. Rose, who is currently an analyst for ESPN's NBA coverage, played 13 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2007.

Former NBA guard Jalen Rose has been named the ambassador and spokesman for the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

Rose, who is currently an analyst for ESPN's NBA coverage, played 13 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2007. He had career average of 14.3 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

He told NBA.com's Steve Aschburner his goal is to create a better transition into retirement for players and continue to build the relationship between current and former players.

“It’s a family,” Rose told NBA.com last week in a phone interview. “I really don’t see a disconnect between the two. Now there’s always going to be the mentality that, the older you get, the longer the walk looks.

“But for the most part, I think there’s a healthy respect in the current players for the retired players and what they’ve done. Hopefully we can create some awareness, some planning, a decision-making mechanism from top to bottom – whether it’s social, emotional or financial – so you’re prepared for that next step.”

Rose will be the first person to fill the newly created ambassador role for the NBRPA.

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- Paul Palladino