Former basketball star Jalen Rose to speak at University of Michigan graduation
Former NBA basketball player Jalen Rose has been named speaker at the University of Michigan's spring 2026 commencement.
Rose will be among five people receiving honorary degrees during the May 2 ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, according to the announcement. He will receive a Doctorate of Humane Letters as his honor.
Born and raised in Detroit, Rose was part of the University of Michigan "Fab Five" team that earned national attention during the 1992 and 1993 college seasons. He was selected in the first round of the NBA draft in 1994, playing 13 seasons with six teams and helping the Indiana Pacers reach the NBA Finals in 2000.
In the meantime, Rose became a basketball analyst for television sports media, most recently as a college basketball analyst for TNT Sports.
In 2011, he founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit. The open-enrollment public charter high school is in the Detroit neighborhood where Rose grew up. The school now has over 1,000 alumni, and a 95% graduation rate among its students.
Rose is also co-founder and CEO of Same Page Entertainment, a Detroit-based multimedia production company.
He was previously named to the Detroit High School Hall of Fame and the Michigan Basketball Hall of Fame.
The four others who will receive honorary degrees this spring from the University of Michigan are:
- Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Doctor of Laws.
- Ingeborg Hochmair, electrical engineer and cochlear implant pioneer, Doctor of Engineering.
- Michael Phelps, world champion swimmer and Olympic record holder, Doctor of Laws.
- Ron Weiser, businessman, philanthropist and U-M regent emeritus, Doctor of Laws.