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Former NBA star Jalen Rose suggested in a recent podcast that there was a racial aspect behind certain professional sports leagues having a salary cap.
Appearing on a live edition of the “Joe and Jada Unfiltered” podcast last week, Rose said “the only sports that have a salary cap are black-led” when talking about his issue with the system. He named leagues such as MLB, NASCAR, golf and tennis that do not have a salary cap. Although he failed to mention that the NHL has a salary cap since about two dozen NHL players are black.
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Jalen Rose speaks on stage during Joe and Jada’s live podcast taping in celebration of the Prime Video McDonald’s All American Games documentary Meal Ticket at The Miracle Theater on February 13, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (JC Olivera/Getty Images for Prime Video)
“The other thing is they have no restrictions after high school,” he continued. “So, it’s a remnant of slavery because we’re going to get money from you for years for free. There’s no way around it. So, what happened in the game, it became so apparent because of social media and because of information, it’s like, ‘We’re making a billion dollars, we’ve got to pay them something. That’s how it ended up happening.’
The member of the “Fab Five” Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team added that he was “happy” to see players getting paid for their name, image and likeness. But “if you notice, you still have to pay the system,” he said.
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Ray Jackson, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose and Jimmy King of Michigan Wolverines basketball, collectively known as the “Fab Five”. (ALAN R. KAMUDA, Detroit Free Press)
Rose said another issue for him was eligibility for the pros. He noted that in the NFL, players usually have to be three years removed from high school to enter the NFL. He pointed out that all-time NBA greats like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have been productive coming out of high school. He didn’t mention the careers of Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, DeSagna Diop and countless others who fizzled out without playing college basketball.
In baseball, high school players come out and get drafted but start their careers in the minor leagues.
Mike Epps and Jalen Rose are seen in attendance during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 31, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
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MLB is expected to have a battle over whether to have a salary cap in the next round of collective bargaining. The league seems poised to push for one, while the players have been opposed.
