SALT LAKE CITY — Ace Bailey vividly remembers the moment he defined his life’s path. It makes him chuckle when he thinks about it, a moment when the preteen comes of age, becomes independent and then asks the question every parent dreads.
“Mom. Can I have some money?”
This week, as an 18-year-old, Bailey signed a contract with the Utah Jazz. All of which means he won’t have to ask his mother, Ramika McGee, that question at any point in the foreseeable future. Bailey recognizes that he had what he needed, even if he and his family weren’t living in a state of luxury, but none of that stopped his mother from giving him the answer a parent at some point gives a child.
Get a job. Mow a lawn. Put in an application at McDonald’s. Go earn some money.
Bailey didn’t hesitate in his retort. It’s the answer that gives insight into who he is as a person. It’s an answer that defines where he wants to be, headed into his rookie season with a Jazz fan base salivating to latch on to someone with the talent to be a potential superstar.
“Mom,” Bailey said, “I’m never getting a job. I can’t ever get a job.
“Basketball is the job.”
Through a pre-draft process shrouded in controversy — the online speculation and talk, the canceled workouts, the Jazz drafting Bailey with the No. 5 pick and photos circulating of Bailey looking less than pleased with said selection — the question of “Who is Ace Bailey?” has lingered. That question hasn’t been answered.
In an extensive interview with The Athletic, Bailey showed himself to be like almost any other 18-year-old. He’s energetic. His mind races through multiple thoughts at once. He can’t wipe the sly grin off his face. And popcorn … he loves popcorn with Gatorade as a post-workout snack.
But, if you talk to him about basketball, his knowledge extends well beyond his years. He’ll tell you about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and their work ethic. He’ll tell you about those two working maniacally on their games. He’ll tell you about the pain they went through to be great.
“Of course, you have to be aware of the business side of basketball,” Bailey said. “But I didn’t ask for all of this to come with it. I just want to hoop. I want to keep the main thing the main thing and stay focused. During pre-draft, I was surrounded by family and love. I’m big on family and loyalty. They were there for me even before I was Ace Bailey.”
For Jazz fans, Bailey represents hope. This is a Utah fan base and community that’s seen its last three stars leave the franchise under adverse circumstances. Donovan Mitchell was traded when it became clear his relationship with the Jazz, and with Utah in general, had run its course. Rudy Gobert was traded because the Jazz didn’t want to pay a center $40 million-plus in today’s NBA economy. And who can forget when Gordon Hayward left the Jazz with a “Thank you, Utah” letter in July of 2017?
For so long, Utah had the duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone, virtual Jazz lifers who consistently lifted the franchise to great heights. More than 20 years after their departure as players, the Jazz, in many ways, haven’t replaced them.
For three years after Mitchell and Gobert, the Jazz picked good players in consecutive lotteries. But they hadn’t picked the one who has All-NBA potential. That’s where Bailey comes in. You look at the near-6-foot-8 frame and the condor-like wingspan, then you close your eyes and picture flashes of Paul George or maybe even Tracy McGrady. His Salt Lake City Summer League debut Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers yielded eight points, seven rebounds and a ton of rough moments.
But it also revealed flashes of what could be: A highlight block, where he reached the top of the square. The jab step and pull-up jumper that he was known for at Rutgers. A cut to the middle, and then one dribble into a jumper that hit nothing but net.
First of many 🫡
Welcome to the league, Rook! #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/ngPziJa2uh
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 6, 2025
It’s the hope Bailey represents that will consume Jazz fans through this summer, next year and beyond. On the heels of Hayward leaving for the Boston Celtics, Mitchell was a gift to the organization and the community. Three years after Mitchell, the Jazz finally have someone on the roster capable of developing into the kind of player they can win with at a high level.
“Of all the guys in the draft, he’s the one who I think has maybe the highest ceiling,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell told The Athletic. “He’s a talented guy, and I think some of the stuff that was said about him before the draft was unwarranted. They spent 90 percent of the time talking about the 3 percent of the things he can’t do, and not enough about the 97 percent of the things he can do.
“His work ethic is superb. He can make plays for other people. He can get into the lane and make plays. I think in time, he has a chance to play the point guard position. I think he’s still growing physically. I know that I’m biased, but I think he is going to be really good.”
Bailey’s potential is why the Jazz drafted him without a second thought. The pressure on him, however, will be enormous. That’s where Bailey being 18 could help.
When you talk to him, he is confident in his skin. He truly believes that in time, he will be the best player in his draft class. He believes that he will have the chance to be an All-Star. And he believes that he will win a bunch of games in a Jazz uniform.
It’s cliché to say that players are gym rats and don’t do much other than play basketball, but Bailey is that player. Last year, Pikiell and Rutgers finished a West Coast trip to Washington. They flew back to the East Coast, where Pikiell announced a 10 a.m. practice the next day. He heard groans from fatigued players hoping to get a morning off.
When Pikiell got to the practice facility the next morning, about an hour before schedule, he found Bailey, already in full sweat, going full speed, getting shots up.
“To most kids, an early practice is like a trip to the dentist,” Pikiell said. “Ace was always the first one in the gym.”
When Bailey arrived in Utah, he got off the flight and went straight to the gym. This past Wednesday, Utah’s summer-league team held a practice. Bailey got a full workout in before and after the practice.
As he told his mother way back when, basketball is going to be how he pays the bills and how he will take care of his family. He remembers when some of his AAU tournament fees were so high his mom couldn’t come to some of the games. His sense of urgency to become a good player is significant.
“What I know is that I want to be the best,” Bailey said. “If you want to be the best, you’re just not going to be able to do that overnight. You have to work at being the best. I love basketball. It’s my escape. I know we didn’t have everything growing up, but my mom made sure that we had the stuff that we needed.
“Seeing her make sacrifices, a lot of parents wouldn’t do that. She always made sure that we were first. So, I told her that I was going to take care of her.”
Bailey’s professional debut was a bit of a mixed bag. For as high a ceiling he has as a player, he’s going to have to make some improvements. For instance, after going a long stretch without being involved in the offense, because Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski both were playing well, Bailey received a pass, turned, dribbled a few times and shot the ball. The shot was completely outside of the offense. It’s something Bailey is going to have to eliminate.
In the first half, when he was involved, Bailey found himself doubled on a possession. Instead of forcing the issue, he found a cutting teammate for his only assist of the game. That, and his ballhandling, must improve. On the plus side, he was much better defensively than anticipated, putting his length and athleticism to good use in disrupting the Sixers’ offense.
It’s a step up for Bailey, as it is for all rookies. He talked about the NBA meaning playing against grown men, people who have a family to feed. It’s a different level of urgency when you are playing for a literal job. He knows he will have to get stronger. He will have to see what does and doesn’t work at this level. Even still being a teenager, Bailey realizes that.
But it’s that kind of self-awareness that made him a big hit at Rutgers. He stepped on campus, and he worked. When fellow teammate and No. 2 draft pick Dylan Harper missed some games in the middle of the season, Pikiell asked more of Bailey, and he delivered.
Bailey was a loved figure within the Rutgers basketball office. And it wasn’t because the coaching staff had to coax him into the gym.
“He doesn’t do too much else other than play basketball,” Rutgers teammate Jamichael Davis said. “He likes playing NCAA college football (video game). He likes a little Fortnite or Call of Duty. Other than that, he’s playing ball.
“He gives off so much positive energy. He made people enjoy coming to work every day … even when we were going through hard times. Looking back at it, knowing where we came from, not too many people in his position have the attitude he has. It motivates me as a player to keep going.”
(Photo of Ace Bailey defended by Jalen Hood-Schifino: Chris Gardner / Getty Images)
