Jalen Rose Admits to Breaking Major Unwritten Rule Against Kobe Bryant During 2000 NBA Finals (Video)

by Ricky Doyle on Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 8:53AM

It took 12 years, but some skeletons are falling out of Jalen Rose's closet.

Rose, a popular NBA analyst and former member of Michigan's "Fab Five," spent 13 seasons in the NBA, so he learned a thing or two about what really ticks players off. Appearing on a Grantland podcast, Rose said that the No. 1 unwritten rule in basketball involves sticking your foot underneath a player after contesting the player's jump shot.

It turns out that Rose broke that unwritten rule on the NBA's biggest stage against the NBA's biggest superstar.

Rose admitted — in rather lighthearted fashion — during the recent podcast that it wasn't an accident when he stuck his foot out against Kobe Bryant in the 2000 NBA Finals. Bryant landed awkwardly, played just nine minutes in Game 2 and missed all of Game 3 (which Rose's Pacers won).

"NBA Finals, 2000," Rose recounted during the podcast. "Kobe. Bean. Bryant. Goes up for a jump shot on the right wing, I contest the jump shot, Kobe lands on my foot. He hobbles off, and he actually misses the next game."

Co-host Dave Jacboy of Grantland then asked about Rose's intent.

"I think I did it on purpose," Rose responded.

Think, huh? Well, maybe not so much.

"I can't say that it was an accident," Rose said when pressed further on the issue.

Rose admits, however, that karma came back to bite him for his dirty deeds. Bryant's Lakers, of course, won the NBA Finals in six games that year, and Bryant even recorded his amazing 81-point effort in 2006 against Rose and the Raptors.

As far as grudges go, Bryant has apparently remained friends with Rose over the years, but there is a simple explanation for that.

"He never knew I did it on purpose," Rose said. "But now he does."

Check out part of Rose's podcast in the video below. Then, check out the actual play in question in the video below that.

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