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NBA Prospect Ace Bailey Under Fire for Pre-Draft Behavior

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Audilet | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 3:19 PM ET

The 2025 NBA draft will tipoff on Wednesday night, sending several highly-touted prospects to their new professional basketball homes.

One of the top prospects in this year's NBA draft class is Ace Bailey, a 6-foot-10 guard/forward out of Rutgers.

Bailey's pre-draft process has been far from typical. The 18-year-old prospect didn't work out for a single NBA team, declining several invitations. He had a workout scheduled with the Philadelphia 76ers, but canceled on the team just two days before.

Bailey is the only US-based player to not work out with a single NBA team before this year's draft process.

Bailey reportedly has three preferred draft destinations: the Washington Wizards (No. 6), New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7) and Brooklyn Nets (No. 8). His camp has reportedly made it clear that he does not want to be drafted by the Charlotte Hornets (No. 4) or the Utah Jazz (No. 5).

Bailey is taking some serious heat on social media for his pre-draft behavior.

Ace Bailey’s camp has made it known that they do not want him to be drafted by the Hornets or the Jazz, per @DraftExpress

(h/t @esidery ) pic.twitter.com/QTcvzWRGL5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 25, 2025

"Humble yourself and be grateful that you have an opportunity to play for the NBA," one fan wrote.

"Mans got potential but he aint do enough to be this demanding," another said.

"Not even the best player in the draft and he acting like he LeBron," another added.

"He has a terrible camp/representation around him," another said.

Ace Bailey only wants to be drafted by the Pelicans, Nets, or Wizards

Doing whatever he can to control his own destiny. pic.twitter.com/xDIXv7sLoD
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 25, 2025

76ers forward Paul George spoke out against Bailey's pre-draft strategy during a recent episode of his podcast.

"If I'm Ace Bailey, I can't get mad if my stock drops. He's canceled all workouts, like he hasn't worked out for any team." George said. “... You're not in position to be making all these demands. Make it to the league first... The way of going about it is just not right."

Bailey responded to this criticism during a pre-draft interview on Tuesday.

"I can control what I can control. Me playing basketball," he said.

The 2025 NBA draft will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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