No. 5 pick Ace Bailey ready to get back to ball in Utah
June 26 - Confounding to some and confusing to others, the pre-draft position of top prospect Ace Bailey moved to the rear-view mirror as he prepares for professional basketball life with the Utah Jazz.
Utah selected Bailey fifth overall on Wednesday, a decision that Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said was extremely simple despite public concern about the Rutgers forward refusing to work out for teams before the 2025 NBA Draft.
"We do a lot of background calls and work on guys and everyone loves being around Ace," Ainge said. "He's fun, smiles every day. Just a breath of fresh air in the gym. We were able to speak with him. He was super excited. We're super excited. We're expecting a very bright future."
No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs), Bailey's college teammate at Rutgers, described him as the life of the locker room in New Jersey. The Tennessee kid raised in Atlanta was the No. 2 high school prospect behind Cooper Flagg entering college. Before pre-draft posturing changed the equation, many felt Bailey would be in San Antonio instead of Harper.
Bailey said he's ready to focus on the game on the court after a venture into the business side of professional hoops before the draft.
"I'm very young. I'm just coming to the game, so there's a lot of stuff I can improve, physically and mentally," Bailey said. "I mean, from jump shots to more creativity, to more ballhandling, just all over the place."
Ainge said the Jazz were attracted to Bailey's offensive game and athleticism as much as potential to be a lockdown defender.
"He's very skilled for his size. When watching film on him, I was impressed with his defensive effort and in particular his rebounding. A lot of weakside blocked shots," Ainge said.
Bailey, 18, was one of two players to landed with the Jazz in the first round. Florida point guard Walter Clayton Jr. was acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards.
Ainge said the Jazz sat down earlier this month and tried to envision what the perfect draft night might look like. With Round 1 in the books, Ainge said the Jazz, who finished with the NBA's worst record last season but fell to No. 5 overall in the lottery, hit the jackpot.
"We sat down and looked at our picks and said, 'What would be the best case scenario?' And these were the two guys we really wanted," Ainge said. "We feel very fortunate and are excited to have them in the family."
--Field Level Media
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Awkward moment FOX host Colin Cowherd, 61, is advertently announced as an NBA Draft pick live on ESPN
A hilarious slip of the tongue saw Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd accidentally announced as a pick during this week's NBA Draft. With the 11th pick on Wednesday night, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Cedric Coward from Washington State. But as cameras cut to the 21-year-old celebrating with his loved ones, ESPN anchor Malika Andrews announced that Portland had picked 'Colin Cowherd'. 'This is a young man with the ultimate bet-on-yourself story,' Andrews continued. Alas, Colin Cowherd is a 61-year-old sportscaster with Fox Sports who hosts 'The Herd'. He made light of ESPN's error on social media. 'Apparently, I made a hell of an impact in Portland,' Cowherd wrote. He then used AI to create a picture of him wearing a Blazers jersey. 'Nothing against Memphis but this would have been epic,' Cowherd wrote alongside the image. Welcome to the Grizzlies, Colin Cowherd! — Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 26, 2025 Coward, meanwhile, ended up with the Grizzlies after Portland agreed to send his rights to Memphis on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies received Coward in exchange for Yang Hansen (the No 16 overall pick) as well as two second-round picks (2027 and 2028) and a 2028 first-round pick. Elsewhere on Wednesday, ESPN star Scott Van Pelt bemoaned the trend of newly-selected players wearing the wrong team's hat. It's a problem that comes with teams trading their picks and prospects, and results in players getting a photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver while wearing the hat of a team they will not play for. It happened a few times on Wednesday night, including with 10th overall pick Khaman Maluach, who was visibly crying while wearing a Houston Rockets hat. Maluach is headed to the Phoenix Suns, after the team acquired the pick in the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade. 'I'm gonna scream about the hat situation,' Van Pelt said on ESPN's airwaves during the 'SportsCenter' broadcast that immediately followed the first round.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Some sniffer dogs at the Club World Cup outfitted with booties to protect their paws from the heat
Fans and players weren't the only ones coping with extreme heat this week at the Club World Cup. Sniffer dogs — a common addition to the security details at many large sporting events — had a job to do at the international soccer tournament despite the sweltering temperatures. And because that job includes walking on hot asphalt, it can be tough on an animal's feet. The solution? In Philadelphia, the sniffer dogs at Lincoln Financial Field were outfitted with brightly colored protective booties as temperatures soared. 'Every dog team is different and there are different requirements; their precursors are different. However, we go by the seven-second rule. If us humans can't put our human backside or our hand on the concrete for longer than seven seconds without pulling it off, then we require dog booties to go on,' said Cody Schwartz, manager of 3DK9 Detection Services, the private company providing the K9 teams at the stadium. The company also contracts with the NFL 's Philadelphia Eagles. Besides wearing booties, the dogs are kept hydrated and limited to 20-minute patrols at a time in the heat. They also enjoy cooling baths in kiddie pools filled with ice. 'Obviously, when we're hot, they're 10 times hotter. They're obviously carrying a big coat of fur, so it's a big thing for us. Our dogs are No. 1. We can't do our jobs without them,' Schwartz said. Heat has been an issue throughout the Club World Cup, a tournament featuring 32 teams from around the world playing in several U.S. cities. Teams have had to cut back on practice, substitutes have watched from the locker room rather than the bench, and hydration breaks have become necessary. While the booted canines drew a lot of bemused attention, footwear for working dogs isn't all that uncommon. And it's not just for hot weather. In Portland, Maine, and other cities across the United States, police K-9 units have used booties to protect dogs' paws from the ice, sand and salt that accompany winter weather. Sniffer dogs can often be seen at work at airports and at sporting events or concerts because they can smell explosives, contraband and ammunition. Police also use sniffer dogs to help locate missing people or track suspected criminals. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter share opening round lead at Rocket Classic
Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter share the lead after the opening day of the Rocket Classic after carding bogey-free rounds of 62 at Detroit Golf Club. Both America's Roy and 20-year-old South African Potgieter, who started on the back nine, eagled the 578-yard par-five 17th hole and made eight further birdies to reach 10 under par. Australia's Min Woo Lee and the United States pair Mark Hubbard and Max Greyserman sit one shot back while Zach Johnson, a former Masters and Open champion, is among a cluster of players on seven under par. It was a forgettable day for fellow two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, who is seven shots off the pace and bemoaned his short game, including a trio of three-putts on the back nine. He said in quotes on the PGA Tour's website: '(I) putted like a blind man, honestly. 'It's just an uncomfortable feeling, shoving everything and not being able to square up the face. It's tough.'
