Ace Bailey has quickly made himself the story of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Not in a good way, though.
The Rutgers freshman phenom went No. 5 on Wednesday night to the Utah Jazz. He didn't work out for the Jazz, just like he didn't work out for any team. And he has yet to report to Utah.
The drama has created some crazy rumors.
The NBA parody account, NBA Centel, shared a post saying that Bailey has retired that has been viewed more than four million times.
MORE: Jazz's Ace Bailey risk might just be worth it
Did Ace Bailey retire?
No, Ace Bailey did not retire.
The parody post isn't based on real news. It's just meant to attract eyeballs, which it certainly did.
Bailey isn't the first NBA draft pick to not be thrilled about his destination, and he won't be the last.
There's a chance Bailey takes some rare steps and decides to hold out, or to demand a trade before ever playing for the Jazz.
He doesn't really have a lot of ground to stand on. Utah needed to take a big swing on talent, and so it took the risk on Bailey.
The Jazz could dig their feet in for a while at this point. If Bailey wants to play in the NBA, for now, it'd have to be with the Jazz.
It's also not entirely clear where Bailey would've preferred to be. He canceled plans to work out for the 76ers last minute, and they're a popular, big-market team with stars that plays not far from Bailey's college home in Rutgers.
This saga isn't over, but no, Bailey is definitely not retired.
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