Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey is headed to Los Angeles!
Don’t worry, he’s not leaving the Jazz, this isn’t bad news.
On the contrary, this is great news for the Jazz as Bailey has been chosen as a replacement player for the Rising Stars Game to kick off All-Star Weekend in L.A.
The NBA announced the selection on Thursday, choosing Bailey to replace Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, who is sidelined with a left foot sprain.
Bailey was the only player taken in the top nine of the 2025 draft that was left off the original Rising Stars team. Now he’ll slot in for Team Melo, coached by Carmelo Anthony.
Though the 19-year-old had a bit of a slow start to the season and hasn’t been the focal point of the Jazz’s offense, he’s gained momentum as the season has progressed and this week became the youngest Jazzman to reach 500 career points.
Over the last 12 games, Bailey is averaging 15.8 points and 4.9 rebounds, shooting 46.7% overall and 34.4% from 3-point range. He’s played in 48 games this season with 37 starts and has seven 20-point performances under his belt.
The Jazz’s list of players who have participated in the Rising Stars event continues to grow. Bailey joins Bryon Russell (1994), Andrei Kirilenko (2002, 2003), Deron Williams (2006, 2007), Paul Millsap (2007, 2008), Ronnie Brewer (2008), Derrick Favors (2012), Gordon Hayward (2012), Trey Burke (2014, 2015), Rodney Hood (2015), Rudy Gobert (2015), Danté Exum (2015, 2017), Raul Neto (2016), Trey Lyles (2016, 2017), Donovan Mitchell (2017, 2018), Walker Kessler (2023, 2024), and Keyonte George (2024, 2025) as Jazzmen who have been named Rising Stars.
Three teams of top NBA rookies and second-year players will compete against a G League team in a mini-tournament on Friday at the L.A. Clippers’ home, Intuit Dome, as part of the 2026 All-Star festivities.
Team Melo will play in the first game of the mini-tournament and coverage begins at 7 p.m. MST on Peacock on Friday.
