Three main storylines came out of the 2025 NBA Draft. Cooper Flagg being selected No. 1 by the Mavericks, Khaman Maluach’s journey to the NBA and the look on Ace Bailey’s face after he was selected fifth overall by the Utah Jazz.

So much has been said about his reaction and his reported actions during the run-up to the 2025 NBA Draft. A few days ago, Draymond Green offered the Rutgers product some stern words of advice, and now Rachel Nichols has decided to share her own thoughts (not that anyone asked).

During a sit-down with Chris Mannix, former ESPN journalist Rachel Nichols discussed the odd happenings around the draft selection and how it was handled.

“It’s one thing not to go work out for people, and his agent’s point was, hey, he worked out for everyone at the combine, and everyone got the chance [evaluate him], which his agent should know is not the same thing. It’s another thing to cancel on teams, which is what he did. [Then] schedule workouts and cancel them.”

According to reports, Bailey and his representatives leaked to the media that Bailey’s preferred destinations were the Washington Wizards, Brooklyn and the Pelicans.

Interestingly enough, last year, Washington drafted Alex Sarr with the No. 2 pick after he chose not to work out for the team with the first selection, the Atlanta Hawks. Not much was made of Sarr’s decision, especially not by Rachel Nichols at the time.

Still, Nichols did echo Green’s sentiment: 

“I do think that he now has a little bit extra to prove to people. About being a good teammate, about being a leader, about being someone who is hungry, a sponge, ready to learn, and ready to play your role. [These are] all the things that are valued for rookies in this league because he’s walking in with not a great reputation because of the last four to six weeks.”

Then, the interview took an odd turn. Mannix referred to Ace Bailey’s agent, Omar Sharife Cooper, as inexperienced: “We have to acknowledge that Ace Bailey has a young agent, a new agent that he works with him as his representation.”

Omar Sharife Cooper is a sports agent and father of former NBA player Sharife Cooper and former WNBA player Te’a Cooper. His client list is small, featuring Rutgers player Tariq Francis, US College football player Tommy Kinsler and G League free agent Babatunde Akingbola. However, he does have experience and knowledge in the basketball industry.

Mannix doubled down, saying: “He’s not represented by a Rich Paul or a Bill Duffy, the powerhouse agents who do stuff like this.”

He did, however, begrudgingly acknowledge that this isn’t a new tactic: “Maneuvering to one team is not a new concept. Guys get promises all the time. They shut down workouts, and they try to steer themselves to that destination, but how Ace Bailey did it felt kind of amateurish.”

Rachel Nichols then added: 

“It’s one thing to steer your way in certain circumstances. The bottom line is that the NBA team that drafts you has your rights for seven years, seven years. So it’s not like you can go be a problem somewhere. A veteran on an expiring contract can guide [himself] to certain teams.”

With all the hoopla surrounding Ace Bailey, the Utah Jazz have shown no interest in backing down. As reported by Shams Charania: “The Jazz are not going to be trading Ace Bailey. If he’s playing in the NBA, he’s playing for the Utah Jazz.” Additionally, it was reported that the Jazz expect Bailey to report to the team this weekend.

“We’ve had good communication with Ace Bailey and his representatives,” a Jazz representative told ESPN. “We feel good about everything. Ace and his family are coming to Utah tomorrow.”