Key Takeaways
- Jalen Rose reacted to Rainey Ovalle’s viral “Jalen Invasion” song, joking about the growing number of NBA players who share his name.
- The comedic track references multiple current NBA players named Jalen and highlights how common the name has become in the league.
- At least 10 players named Jalen are currently in the NBA, not including alternate spellings like Jaylen and Jaylin.
There are a lot of Jalens — and variations like Jaylen and Jaylin — in the NBA these days, in case you haven’t noticed. On Wednesday (March 4), Jalen Rose reacted to Rainey Ovalle’s newly released “Jalen Invasion,” a comedic track in which the content creator investigates the league’s surprising number of players sharing that same first name.
Taking to X, Rose quote-tweeted the post with, “Me watching another one get drafted,” alongside a video from his appearance on GQ’s “Actually Me,” where he humorously says, “It’s actually me!”
Funnily enough, Ovalle’s song partly attributes the NBA’s overwhelming number of Jalens to Rose himself. Toward the track’s end, the “Victory Light” co-host raps, “Next draft more Jalens in the fold / And it’s all thanks to the legendary Jalen Rose.” Maybe that’s the case, or maybe not, but one thing is certain: the league definitely isn’t short on Jalens.
How many Jalens are actually in the NBA? Breaking down the list
As Ovalle pointed out, there are at least 10 players named Jalen in the NBA, and that’s not even counting the alternate spellings. Among the most recognizable are the New York Knicks’ point guard Jalen Brunson and the Phoenix Suns’ Jalen Green.
Adding to the confusion, the Oklahoma City Thunder not only has a Jalen Williams, but its roster also houses Jaylin Williams. Other notable Jalens include Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons, Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic, Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, Jalen Smith of the Chicago Bulls, Jalen Pickett of the Denver Nuggets and Jalen Wilson of the Brooklyn Nets. Then come the variations: the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells, plus players like Jaylon Tyson and Jaylen Clark.
We may not have enough players for a complete “JaleNBA” roster, as Rose jokingly dubbed it, but the sheer number is still pretty remarkable. Not to mention, there are plenty more Jalens waiting their turn on the collegiate level!
Was Jalen Rose the first-ever Jalen in world history?
According to ESPN’s research, and unbeknownst to Rose’s mother, Jeanne, there seems to be just one person named Jalen before he was born. So, the Detroit native truly is almost the first — and definitely the first that the world recognized. “Jalen has become a unisex name, an international name,” he told the outlet. “I started to take pride in the fact that [I'm] 'the first Jalen.' There's a sense of responsibility that came with it.”
What other names are common in the NBA?
For anyone curious, Jalen isn’t the only name that pops up a lot in the NBA or sports in general. Per For The Win, there are eight players in the league named Isaiah, while seven go by Jordan. Another seven fall under Tre, counting variations like Trae and Trey. Meanwhile, Cameron, Brandon and Kevin each appear six times across the NBA’s 2026 rosters.