On June 25, the 2025 NBA Draft lit up the basketball world, with Cooper Flagg going No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks and Dylan Harper following to the San Antonio Spurs at No. 2. However, while the draft was buzzing, the biggest wave came not from who got picked, but how one particular prospect, Ace Bailey, reacted.
Ace Bailey’s Draft Night Reaction Sparks Controversy
Bailey has become the talk of the town in the 2025 NBA Draft, though not necessarily for the reasons he might have hoped.
The former Rutgers star, who was previously projected to be the overall third pick in the NBA Draft, slid down the board and was selected by the Utah Jazz as the fifth overall pick.
However, as he walked up the stage to shake NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand, there was something off about the moment. While most college players are ecstatic to get drafted by an NBA team, Bailey didn’t seem particularly happy about his selection.
I’d do terrible things for a live coach reaction stream of teams at bat
Bailey had a crestfallen face, no loved ones in the interview, then tilted the hat as soon as the cameras cut
What’re you even THINKING if you’re Will Hardy watching Ace Bailey here pic.twitter.com/We0LsnyCZ3
— Skyler Reinhardt (@ReinhardtSkyler) June 26, 2025
Moreover, it was totally understandable why Bailey wasn’t thrilled with the outcome. Like many top prospects, Bailey likely had his preferred destinations in mind, and Utah apparently wasn’t among them.
“Ace Bailey did not work out for a single NBA team. He’s the only U.S. prospect that declined to do so. This was not one of his preferred destinations, Utah. He was hoping to get to either Washington, New Orleans, or Brooklyn. The Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey, knowing that,” said Jonathan Givony on an ESPN broadcast.
The situation became even more intriguing when ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Bailey did not fly with fellow first-round pick Walter Clayton Jr. to Utah after being drafted. However, the narrative took another turn when Bailey’s agency president recently stated that he is excited to go to Utah and join the Jazz organization.
“He’s thrilled to be going to Utah. Obviously, it’s an honor to be selected in the top 5 of the NBA Draft. We think he can do a lot of great things out there. … It’s a great situation for him basketball-wise,” said Andrew Witlieb in a recent interview with “The Front Office Sports.”
All signs point to him reporting to the team, especially based on what the president of his agency is publicly saying.
But the initial reluctance and the subsequent reports made many wonder: has an NBA draft prospect ever sat out the entire season and re-entered the draft the following year?
Has an NBA Draft Pick Ever Sat Out and Re-Entered the Draft?
The answer, in short, is no. In the history of the National Basketball Association, there has never been a case of a drafted player sitting out an entire rookie season and re-entering the draft the following year.
However, while the NBA hasn’t seen this, other sports have. A famous example is from the NFL is Bo Jackson. In 1986, despite Jackson warning them not to, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him No. 1 overall.
The conflict stemmed from a pre-draft visit to Tampa Bay, which was arranged by owner Hugh Culverhouse, who had sent a private jet to bring Jackson for a physical and team visit. Jackson was assured the trip was NCAA-approved, but it actually violated Southeastern Conference rules, which made him ineligible for his final college baseball season.
Convinced this was a deliberate attempt to sabotage his baseball career and force him into football, Jackson refused to sign with the Buccaneers and rejected their five-year, $7.6 million offer.
The following year, with his NFL rights forfeited by Tampa Bay, Jackson successfully re-entered the 1987 NFL Draft and was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders in the seventh round.
“I told myself, ‘All right, if you screw me, I’m going to screw you twice as hard.’ If anybody else had drafted me, I would have gone, but I wasn’t going to play for that man,” said Jackson in an interview with “USA Today.”
Even today, the NFL is watching a similar situation unfold. Shemar Stewart, who is a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, has skipped most offseason activities, including mandatory minicamp. While rumors swirl that he may try to re-enter next year’s draft, many analysts believe it’s unlikely.
So, as the Bailey saga continues to unfold, all eyes remain on Salt Lake City to see how this intriguing story develops.
