Who is Jalen Rose's dad Jimmy Walker? Looking at the NBA career and personal life of 2x All-Star

NBA fans may know Jalen Rose, but what many don't realize is that Rose's father, Jimmy Walker, was the number one overall pick in the 1967 NBA draft. After graduating from high school, Rose's father attended Providence College and played basketball under Joe Mullaney.

As a crafty six-foot-three guard who was quick and had an accurate jump shot, Walker's play earned him comparisons to NBA great Oscar Robertson. Throughout his sophomore year, Walker averaged a whopping 37.5 minutes per game in 26 games played. During that time, he averaged 20.5 points per game on 47.5% shooting.

In his junior season, he managed to improve his play on all fronts, averaging 24.5 points per game over 39.0 minutes per game. His rebounding and assist numbers also saw improvements as he racked up 6.7 rebounds per game and 5.5 assists per game.

By the time his senior year had rolled around, Walker was leading the nation in scoring with an astounding 30.4 points per game. This, of course, made him a highly touted prospect as he went into the draft, leading to the Detroit Pistons selecting him as the first overall pick.

Jimmy Walker's NBA career and his lack of connection with his son, Jalen Rose

In addition to walker being drafted as the first overall pick of the 1967 NBA draft, he was also drafted as the first overall pick of the ABA draft by the Indiana Pacers. As if that wasn't enough, that same year he was drafted into the 1967 NFL draft, making him a two-sport professional athlete.

The fact that he was drafted by the NFL was absolutely mindblowing considering the fact that he had never played collegiate football before. He was simply just that good of an athlete, and possessed insane quickness.

During his nine seasons in the NBA, which saw him earn two NBA All-Star selections, he never met his son, Jalen Rose. In fact, Rose didn't even know that the All-Star player was his dad. According to reports, Rose's mother didn't talk about his father, who was out of the picture.

The Ally Challenge - Round Two

When Rose was in middle school, he was allegedly acting out one day in class at St. Cecilia Jr. High. Basketball coach Sam Washington took him down into the basement to a dark office before sitting Rose down and playing him footage of an NBA player.

According to ESPN, as the story goes, Washington pointed out the six-foot-three guard on the screen and broke the news to Rose.

"That's your father. You have the same potential to be very special."

Unfortunately, despite Rose following in his father’s footsteps, the two never met. When Walker was diagnosed with lung cancer, the two had plans to meet. He passed away before they could get together.

At his funeral, Rose spoke about the situation, saying:

"I was hurt, saddened, and selfishly disappointed that we never got a chance to meet. You want to know something? We were supposed to meet this month, we were supposed to meet this month."