Ace Bailey gave the dumbest answer possible for ghosting the 76ers

Drew Smith
June 24, 2025
Sixers
0 Comments

Ace Bailey finally broke his silence about ghosting the Sixers ahead of the NBA Draft. When asked about blowing off the pre-draft workout in Camden, his answer was…pretty fucking shitty.

Ace Bailey: “I can only control what I can control, you can think what you think – I’m focused on basketball”

"I can only control what I can control, you can think what you think – I'm focused on basketball"

Ace Bailey talks about his mindset ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft: pic.twitter.com/Gwt1TrNmf2
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

“I feel like I can only control what I can control; you can think how you think, but I can (only) control what I can control.”

Ahhhhhh…okay? I don’t know who Ace Bailey has around him pulling the strings but what a bunch of fucking idiots. Does Ace Bailey not realize that he is solely responsible for showing or not showing up to a scheduled interview and workout?

Ace, my guy, (not my guy) I know it may come as a surprise but you literally can control whether you follow through on a scheduled meeting with a billion-dollar franchise that might draft you in the lottery.

You can also control whether you hire Sharife Cooper’s dad as your agent a guy with no NBA clients who, according to reports, asked for money to do interviews.

This isn’t “you got crossed up on a back cut” stuff. This is basic professionalism. When you’re the only domestic player in the entire draft class who hasn’t worked out for a single team, it doesn’t exactly scream “future face of the franchise.”

Look, we’re not going to roast an 18-year-old like he’s a finished product. I couldn’t even begin to explain what I was doing at 18 but then again, I’m not projected to be taken in the top 5 of the NBA Draft either.

Side Note: I was a three time All-Star for St. Thomas CYO basketball and played the majority of the games higher than a kite. Me and Ace Bailey are not the same.

Here’s what we’ve got so far from Ace Bailey:

Skipped his Sixers workout with no heads up
Hasn’t worked out for any NBA team
Linked to seeking a “promise” from teams before committing
Represented by a guy with no track record and some bizarre behavior

That’s four warning signs and we haven’t even mentioned that Bailey’s game isn’t exactly ironclad. Talented? Sure but that doesn’t mean he’s not raw or inconsistent off the ball. Ace Bailey isn’t quite the type of plug-and-play wing you want if you’re trying to win now with Embiid and Maxey.

AND STILL, over in the swamp (Sixers subreddit), 45% of fans in a poll still want the team to take him. The mental gymnastics are truly Olympic-level. Maybe it’s the allure of upside. Maybe it’s that sweet, sweet dopamine of draft night hope.

Maybe they’re just sick in the head and still want to talk themselves into another project player from the prestigious hoops factory that is Rutgers.

Joking, obviously.

Look, maybe we’re all wrong. Daryl Morey has earned some benefit of doubt after drafting Maxey and Jared McCain. If they do pass on Bailey, it’ll be for good reason.

If they somehow take him?

Let’s hope the Sixers’ don’t have another Markelle Fultz, Jahlil Okafor, and whoever else is on the laundry list of disappointments over the past few decades.

Either way, that quote was nonsense. It was complete shit and anyone with half of a brain would avoid Ace Bailey like the plague. If the Sixers draft him, you just better hope the kid learns how to read the room faster than he reads a defense.