Magic guard Jalen Suggs narrates this look at how Jalen Rose's mother, Jeanne, created the NBA's most popular name.
When Jalen Rose was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1994, he was the first-ever Jalen to enter the NBA. When he retired in 2007, he was still the only Jalen ever to play in the league.
Then Jaylen Brown made his debut in 2016 and started a new wave. Since then, 26 more players named Jalen have played in the NBA. And it’s been the most popular name in the league for the last three seasons, with 17 Jalens on opening night rosters for 2024-25.
Did Jalen Rose inspire this wave of Jalens? The numbers say yes.
To celebrate Jalen Rose’s birthday today, let’s dig into the rise of the name created by Rose’s mother, Jeanne, as a combination of “James” and “Leonard”.
- After Jalen Rose’s first season with the Fab Five at the University of Michigan in 1992, the name debuted at No. 378 on the list of most popular boys names in the USA. Then “Jaylen” with a “y” debuted at No. 668 the next year. Both names have stayed in the top 1000 ever since.
- When you include all spellings of the name, there have been 28 players named Jalen to make the NBA. Here’s the complete list with each player’s debut season:
- For the 2024-25 season, there are 15 teams with a Jalen (or variation) on their roster – half the league. When you include all spellings, 3% of the NBA is named Jalen this season.
- The NBA isn’t the only league with an influx of Jalens. There have been three in the WNBA, 58 in the NFL, 322 in NCAA basketball and 496 in NCAA football.
- To put the rise of the name Jalen into perspective, the other most popular names in the NBA since 2000 have been Chris, Jordan and Josh — all names with origins that date back over 1,000 years.
The data makes it clear – Jalen Rose’s game and his mother’s innovation created the most popular name in the NBA and inspired the next generation of athletes.
