9-Time NBA All-Star Walks Back Critical Ace Bailey Take

When the Philadelphia 76ers were preparing for the 2025 NBA Draft, their All-Star wing, Paul George, joined the masses in getting critical of the incoming rookie, Ace Bailey.

As the former Rutgers star was projected to become a top pick, his decision to refuse all workouts generated a lot of questions surrounding his fit on teams from a locker room standpoint.

Bailey was a prospect for the Sixers and was scheduled to work out with the team one week before the draft. He ended up canceling on them not long before he was scheduled to fly out to Philly.

“If I’m Ace Bailey I can’t get mad if my stock drops,” George said back in June, after discussing Bailey’s decision to reject workout requests.

After taking some time to reflect, George recently walked back his statements regarding the rookie on a recent episode of ‘Podcast P,’ a Wave original.

“How can we get on a kid that kind of knows what he wants?” George said.

“We’re not in his shoes. He wants to do it his way, and he’s good enough, he’s got the talent, he’s going to go where he wants to go. That’s his decision. I could’ve backfired, but it didn’t. He’s still in a great situation, he still gets to showcase what he can do. He had a great game two, went crazy, showed his potential, the flash of it.”

"[Ace Bailey] wants to do it his way … I hate being that person to be like, ‘Oh you should’ve done this.’ Everybody has their own path.’”

PG opens up on how Ace handled his pre-draft process. pic.twitter.com/crLlRcZ0Go
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 21, 2025

Ace Bailey reportedly had two teams on his mind heading into the draft. Many reports suggested he preferred to end up with the Brooklyn Nets or the Washington Wizards. While Bailey slid past the Sixers and the Charlotte Hornets at three and four, the rookie was selected by the Utah Jazz at No. 5.

At first, many believed Bailey was rejecting the idea of joining the Jazz. Eventually, he joined them for the NBA Summer League run, and the concerns have been nonexistent since.

“I was kind of thinking about it like, I hate being that person to be like, ‘Oh, you should’ve did this.’ Everybody has their own path, however way you want to trail blaze it,” George added.

“Who are we to be like, ’Nah, you got to do it this way or that way.’ I kind of want to retract a little bit on that because he is a young kid, and he will find his way. It’s dope when you can kind of make your own path.”

Before his initial comments, George was very fond and complimentary of Bailey’s game. After a 30-game run at Rutgers, George was impressed by the 18-year-old’s lone season in the NCAA. They won’t team up in Philadelphia, but the nine-time All-Star is supportive of Bailey’s upcoming run in Utah.

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