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Omar Cooper's Son to Coach Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz in Summer League
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ace Bailey stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the fifth pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It seems the Utah Jazz have a new reported voice set to be among the team's coaching staff during their summer league showings set to take place later this weekend, a name coming aboard from the camp of Ace Bailey.

According to a report from The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen, the Jazz will have Omar Cooper Jr., as a guest coach for summer league.

To be clear, Cooper Jr. is not to be confused with Bailey's other popular representative during the pre-draft process, Omar Cooper. Instead, it's his son and the twin brother of former Atlanta Hawks guard, Sharife Cooper, who will be on the sidelines for Utah.

It is an interesting layer to take note of in the early time of Bailey's tenure with the Jazz, as he was selected with the fifth-overall pick in last week's NBA Draft after being one of the most highly-discussed names atop the board, largely due to the approach he and his team took toward his pre-draft process.

While eye-catching, the addition of Cooper Jr. to the staff isn't something to sound the alarms over, though. If anything, it's likely just a way for the Jazz to allow their rookie to get comfortable in his new situation with a voice he's familiar with.

Amid the Jazz's addition of Cooper Jr., The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen recently offered a bit of insightful background surrounding Utah's guest coach when breaking down his pending role.

"The 24-year-old Cooper Jr. was offered a graduate assistant job by McNeese State head coach Will Wade — which he may still take before the collegiate season begins — but the opportunity with the Jazz will allow him to shadow NBA coaches as he learns a new role in basketball," Bailey wrote. "He also shadowed Bailey in the portion of Wednesday’s practice that was open to media, as Bailey got up different kinds of shots."

According to Bailey himself, Cooper Jr is helping in all types of ways, "from just shooting, from getting up early mornings with us, all of the above." So clearly, the Jazz rookie values having his guy next to him in the building.

Bailey will be suiting up alongside the Jazz's other two rookies in Walt Clayton Jr. and John Tonje, while also having other big pieces of Utah's rotation like Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, and Brice Sensabaugh in the fold with him as well.

The Jazz will have three summer league showcases right off the bat during their Salt Lake City Summer League, as the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Memphis Grizzlies will all travel for their first exhibition contests of the summer before heading to Las Vegas later this month for the NBA's official

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This article first appeared on Utah Jazz on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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