ESPN’s Jalen Rose Apologizes After Receiving Backlash For Saying Kevin Love Made Olympic Team Because U.S. Is Scared Of Sending All-Black Team

Getty Image

• Jalen Rose recieved backlash after saying Kevin Love only made Team USA’s Olympic roster because of “tokenism” and fear of sending an all-Black team to Tokyo
• Rose has now apologized “to the game” for his comments about Love in a long Instagram video
• Check out more sports coverage at BroBible here.

Jalen Rose has apologized after catching heat for making some controversial comments about the US men’s Olympic basketball team last week.

During the latest episode of the Jalen & Jacoby podcast, Rose blasted the selection of Kevin Love to the US Olympic team because he says the Cavs forward was only selected because the NBA was afraid of sending an all-black team to Tokyo.

“But this level of, and I got a word for it … Kevin Love is on the team because of tokenism. Don’t be scared to make an all-Black team representing the United States of America. I’m disappointed by that. Anybody that watched the league this year knows Kevin Love did not have a stellar season, was not the best player on his team and did not necessarily deserve to be on this squad. And I’m not going to take him off the squad and not put somebody else on it. I’m going to tell you whose spot that should be.

But this level of, and I got a word for it … Kevin Love is on the team because of tokenism. Don’t be scared to make an all-Black team representing the United States of America. I’m disappointed by that. Anybody that watched the league this year knows Kevin Love did not have a stellar season, was not the best player on his team and did not necessarily deserve to be on this squad. And I’m not going to take him off the squad and not put somebody else on it. I’m going to tell you whose spot that should be.

“That should be a young man that was born in the Bahamas. That is a McDonald’s All-American, playing high school and college in Phoenix, Arizona. Deandre Ayton should have Kevin Love’s spot. And I’m disappointed in Team USA for not having the courage to send an all-Black team to the Olympics.”

After fans called out Rose and pointed out that U.S. recently sent an all-Black to the Olympics in 2016, the ESPN personality apologized “to the game” for his comments while still saying he believes Love shouldn’t have been on the team in a long Instagram video.

“If I feel like Kevin Love should make the team or not, I’m entitled to my opinion,”. “You don’t have to like my opinion, you don’t have to like me. There’s a lot of people trying to assassinate my character or whatever, but those people, some of them, have been … for like 30 years.

“But you know why I’m apologizing right now?” . “To the game. Because I’m what the game made me. I was raised by the all-time greats and you know what I would never want to do? Disappoint [Rose’s late mother] Jeanie Rose or disappoint the all-time greats that raised me.”

“But like Katt Williams said, ‘Sometimes, playas mess up,’ so I apologize to the game,” “That’s who I apologize to.”