“Check”ing in with NBA Countdown’s Jalen Rose

It seems like Jalen Rose is everywhere these days.

Whether it’s multiple appearances per week on NBA Countdown, his regular contributions to The Grantland Basketball Hour and Grantland.com, plus SportsCenter appearances, Rose’s ESPN media star has risen in the past year.

On NBA Countdown (typically airs on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET, Wednesdays and Fridays) Rose now has a segment to call his own: “Keep Gettin’ Dem Checks.”

Front Row spoke with Rose this week to discuss the premise of the segment and Countdown.

What was the inspiration behind creating the “Keep Gettin’ Dem Checks” segment?
This one is natural since I have been saying it forever. Since we only get what we have the leverage to negotiate for, it’s a great way to acknowledge those whose contracts are outperforming them, not the other way around.

What do you want the viewer to take away from the new segment?
I want the viewer to get a fun look at the business side of sports and how the two [business and sports] are usually mutually exclusive when teams are successful.

What are your early thoughts on how NBA Countdown is gelling this season?
I love working with my friends on “Team Countdown” and can’t wait until our show starts on ABC [Christmas Day] as well.

Why does Jalen Rose use a baseball bat as a prop?

It’s just a character that I created to remind me of the comic strip “Peanuts.” A boy named Charlie Brown had a best friend named Linus who carried a security blanket over his shoulder for comfort and protection. That’s what the bat represents for me, when it’s time to “spit hot fiyaaaa” like Dylan from “Chappelle’s Show.”