Hours ahead of NBA Draft, Ace Bailey opens up on nickname, reveals most underrated aspect of his game

Ace Bailey, the former Rutgers Scarlett Knights guard, is ready for the 2025 NBA Draft. ESPN has projected the 6-foot-10 guard to be picked as the No. 6 overall by the Washington Wizards.

Bailey, interviewed by the founder of Swish Cultures, Jordan Richard, talked about his nickname and aspects of his game that are overlooked, in a video posted on X (formerly called Twitter) on Wednesday.

When asked about his nickname, Ace, the guard said

"I'm gonna say something corny. I mean, Ace was a childhood name given to me by my league coach, shoutout to my coach. "Been having that name ever since I was a kid, I just stuck with it, we just went by, Ace Ace Ace. So a lot of people don't even know my real name is Airious, so I tell people my real name is Ace, anyways. So I'll be like it's Ace."

Bailey also said that his shooting and defense are something many undermine.

"I'd say a lot of people are shooting. A lot of people feel like I can't shoot the ball. Really, I can shoot the ball; that's a good thing. Shooting the ball and then that's it. Defense too, yeah, defense. Definitely defense, yeah, I think I'll play defense, all right," he said.

Just like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey also concluded his one-and-done season at Rutgers before declaring for the NBA Draft. The Chattanooga, Tennessee, native averaged 17.6 points on 46.0% shooting, including 34.6% from behind the arc. He also grabbed 7.2 rebounds, dished out 1.3 assists, stole the ball once and recorded 1.3 blocks in 33.3 minutes per game.

Bailey comes from a family of basketball players. His mother, Ramika McGee, played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers, while his father, Richard Bailey, played college basketball at Houston.

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Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper work out with Giannis Antetokounmpo

The former Rutgers teammates worked out with the 2021 NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In a video posted on Instagram by Bleacher Report Hoops on Tuesday, Bailey and Harper played 1v1 against Antetokounmpo and were coached by the Milwaukee Bucks superstar.

"Last summer, Giannis was working with Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey before their freshman seasons at Rutgers. Next season, the three will be playing against each other in the NBA 🔥," the post was captioned.

Ace Bailey could also be heading to the Philadelphia 76ers as the third overall pick.

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Edited by Bhargav