Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Ace Bailey (basketball)
American basketball player (born 2006) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Airious "Ace" Bailey (born August 13, 2006)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class.
Remove ads
Early life and high school career
Summarize
Perspective
Bailey grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and initially attended Boyd-Buchanan School.[2] After his freshman year, he moved to Powder Springs, Georgia, and enrolled at McEachern High School.[3] Bailey averaged 22 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and four blocks per game as a junior.[4] He improved his stats to 32.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 blocks per game as a senior. Bailey was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit during his senior year.
Recruiting
Bailey was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services.[5][6] On January 15, 2023, he committed to playing college basketball for Rutgers over offers from Ohio State, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas and Oregon.[7][8] Bailey signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Scarlet Knights on November 12, 2023, during the early signing period.[9][10]
Remove ads
College career
Bailey became the highest-ranked recruit in Rutgers program history.[11][12] After missing the first two games due to injury, he made his college basketball debut on November 15, 2024, scoring 17 points and adding six rebounds, two steals, and one block in a win over Monmouth.[12][13] On November 20, he recorded his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds against Merrimack.[14] Bailey earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (alongside Braden Smith and Kasparas Jakucionis) following his career-high 39-point performance against Indiana on January 2, 2025.[15][16] On January 19, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time after leading the team to a 2–0 week and topping the scoring charts with two double-doubles: 20 points and 10 rebounds against UCLA, and 24 points with 11 rebounds against Nebraska.[17]
At the conclusion of his freshman year, Bailey declared for the 2025 NBA Draft on April 23, foregoing his remaining college eligibility. He finished his collegiate career having earned Third-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.[18][19]
Remove ads
Professional career
Bailey was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2025 NBA draft.[20] On July 2nd, he signed with the Jazz with Walter Clayton Jr.[21]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Remove ads
Personal life
Bailey's mother, Ramika McGee, played college basketball at West Virginia University.[22] Bailey's father, Richard Bailey, played college basketball at Houston. His aunt, Venus Lacy, played in the WNBA and was a member of Team USA's 1996 Olympic team that won a gold medal.[23]
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads