Jalen Rose: Michigan State Would’ve Treated Fab Five Better
Filmogaz.com reports Jalen Rose and Chris Webber discussed college sports priorities on TNT Sports’ The Steam Room. The pair joined host Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley for a roughly 40-minute interview.
The Steam Room conversation
Charles Barkley recalled unequal treatment of athletes at Auburn. He used dining-hall menus as an example. Barkley asked whether Michigan treated basketball players like lesser priorities.
Chris Webber said he noticed a difference his first year. He overlapped with Heisman winner Desmond Howard and successful Wolverines football teams. Jalen Rose agreed with Webber’s observation.
On program priorities and public recognition
Rose called Michigan a football-first university. He said the Fab Five did not receive full recognition from the school. He noted the Final Four banners remain absent from Crisler Center.
Rose, a university alum and season-ticket holder, said Michigan State would likely have treated the Fab Five differently. He argued the Spartans’ basketball focus would have led to better institutional support.
Attendance and atmosphere
Rose pointed to large football crowds as evidence. He referenced weekly attendance figures near 115,000 to 120,000. That scale, he said, drives campus priorities.
Fab Five legacy and fallout
The Fab Five consisted of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. They reached consecutive national title games in 1992 and 1993 under coach Steve Fisher.
Webber left for the NBA after his sophomore season. Rose and Howard departed after their junior seasons.
Ed Martin scandal and sanctions
Chris Webber was linked to booster Ed Martin and a reported $600,000 payment scheme. The association damaged the group’s legacy at Michigan.
As a result, the 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners were removed from Crisler Center. Webber’s statistics were also removed from the school record books.
In 2003, the NCAA ordered a 10-year disassociation between Webber and Michigan. That penalty ended in 2013.
Reunions and missed events
Webber did not attend a 2016 campus forum marking the Fab Five’s 25th anniversary. He also skipped a documentary about the team. He returned to campus in 2018 as an honorary captain, at Jim Harbaugh’s invitation.
The five former teammates reunited at Crisler Center in January 2024. The gathering came during Juwan Howard’s final season as head coach. It was their first time together at the arena since their playing days.
- Interview: The Steam Room, TNT Sports (approx. 40 minutes)
- Hosts: Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley
- Key figures: Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson
- Coach during Final Fours: Steve Fisher
- Sanctions: Banners removed; Webber disassociated 2003–2013
- Reunion: Crisler Center, January 2024
