2007, Jan. 4: - BET.com: Ballin!

Keep it real. Which woman in her right mind wouldn't consider dating a ball player? A tall, handsome man, with a lean, athletic build and money to spend sounds like a good catch to me. My new crush, Jalen Rose, describes his ideal woman and shares why groupies aren't so bad. What do you think you can offer a woman? I'm intelligent and a realist about who I am, my expectations and my goals. I'm not one of those cats who wants a woman with a coke bottle body but haven't worked out in years. A lot of times in life, people can't look in the mirror and be honest with themselves. I'm not like that. You're athletic. Do you want an athletic woman? Since I train, I like somebody who trains. And it's more so a sacrifice and a health thing too. You'd hope it puts her in a position to live right and live longer. What's your best asset? My experience. I'm 33 now, so I've seen it all and done it all - been there, done that. Are you dating? Skip that one. Real talk, everybody knows somebody. You don't talk to a complete stranger and tell your life story. I'm just being honest. What assets on a woman do you like the best? Everybody says a physical attribute, so I won't say that. I'm going to say educated, driven and love for me. You can have all the attributes in the world: biggest booty, biggest contract, but that doesn't matter if they don't love you. Do you think it's hard to find a woman, trust a woman since you're a ball player? That comes with the territory. You can get so caught up in people knowing who you are, who you play for, but that happens at all levels. There are neighborhood celebrities. I'm sure there was always someone in your neighborhood, high school, whatever, who was a celebrity, who was popular. But your attention is much greater than any neighborhood celebrity. Yeah, and it can seem hard to know if someone is really into you for who you are. But I'm a good judge of character. Over time, her true character will show. Do you prefer tall women? I'm 6'8", so I probably wouldn't put an ad in the newspaper, "Looking For a 4'8" Woman." But she doesn;t have to be 6'2" either. Do you have a cut off point? 5'5" Jalen on cheating, groupies and his favorite position. Do you prefer the girlie girl or tomboy? Some think girlie girls tend to think or act a certain way, but that's not true. The way you dress, baggy pants or always in pants, really doesn't make you hard or tomboyish. And an around-the-way-girl look doesn't mean she's a tomboy either. You never know. I prefer versatility, like my game. Does she have to have some knowledge about basketball? Nah, I don't care. Actually, I would prefer someone who hasn't been to 100 games already or has family passes or whatever. I want her to come see me, and I want to think that's the first time she's done that. Would you ever date a groupie? You know, you like who you like. I'm not chasing after a girl because she is a groupie, but if she is, it's not fair to put her in front of a firing squad. You have to be man or woman enough to like who you like. Your boys could be like, "She ain't cute," or your girls might say, "He doesn't have a job!" But, you have to stand up for who you like. How hard is it not to cheat on a woman? It's hard period, not only for ball players, but for comedians, rappers and actors too. Men have multiple women, multiple babies and multiple baby mamas - not just ball players. Travel exposes you to a different lifestyle. Do you ever get tired of women throwing themselves at you? I don't look at it that way. You know, there are only a small percentage of women who are aggressive like men. We'll grab your hand, elbow, buy you a drink, then want to hang around you all night. Women are different. They position themselves to be acknowledged. They get in your vision. If they have legs, they'll wear a short dress, cleavage, a nice top - Y'all just talk to guys differently. Kelis or Beyoncé? Beyoncé , Ciara and Rhianna - Nas is my man, though. Best point guard? Steve Nash Best guard? Kobe Bryant Favorite player? Magic. It's hard to be 6'8" and successful at point. Favorite position? I can play the point, big guard and small forward, and I've played all for different reasons in my career. In high school, I was a shooter, small forward and in college, point and now in the NBA, all three. Future goal? To be a GM one day and help build a team. See what else Jalen is up to at www.myspace.com/jalenrose5 By Kadidja Hinds, BET.com Staff Writer