There was talk about Ace Bailey‘s willingness to play for the Utah Jazz. The former Rutgers star was drafted by the team with the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. After his name was called, he was surprised and had a disappointed look on his face. Many started to speculate that he didn’t want to play for the Jazz and was waiting to be drafted by either the New Orleans Pelicans or the Charlotte Hornets.
After he was drafted, Bailey was expected to join the organization as soon as possible. However, he didn’t join Walter Clayton Jr., the team’s No. 18 pick, and John Tonje, the No. 53 pick, who both flew to Utah first. Over the weekend, though, the 6-foot-10 forward finally arrived at Utah and was welcomed by the team.
He quickly shut down the talk that he didn’t want to join the franchise that drafted him. But there are still people who continue to doubt the rookie.
On Sunday, Bailey had his introductory press conference on Sunday and talked about the entire draft process. One reporter asked the youngster if he had considerations about not joining the Jazz after he was drafted.
“No, not at all,” Bailey said. “I mean, just blessed to be in this position, I am. Not a lot of people can sit in these chairs and have great teammates as I got on. They came on with me, so I’m just blessed to be here.”
"Was there any point that you considered not coming to Utah?" 😳
Ace Bailey HAPPY to be with Jazz 🎺 pic.twitter.com/JabSAMxXRJ
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 29, 2025
Bailey added that when Commissioner Adam Silver called his name at the draft, he became very emotional.
“When they called my name … it was very emotional,” Bailey said. “My mom, I mean, she’s crying; the whole table’s crying because they know the hard work and sacrifices we made to be in this position — not just me, but my family also.”
Jazz players Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George also connected with Bailey after he officially became a member of the organization.
The Utah Jazz rookie talked about his thoughts on the city
The Utah Jazz’s rookie hasn’t been in the city for long. However, he’s already enjoyed what he’s seen so far. According to Bailey, the scenery of the place caught his attention as he met the Jazz members at the airport.
“It’s some great scenery,” Bailey said. “As soon as I got off the plane, I didnt think the mountains were real. I mean, it was so beautiful. Seeing that, getting off the plane, meeting the coaches, it was all great.”
The Utah Jazz are excited to have him on their team as he’s one of the best scorers in college basketball last season. Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
