NBA
Jazz’s rookie Ace Bailey parted ways with his former agent Omar Cooper
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 hours ago on September 24, 2025
Ahead of the 2025 draft, one of the major storylines was Rutgers’ Ace Bailey. Unlike most draft prospects, Bailey was not represented by an official agent. Instead, he was receiving advice from Omar Cooper of LifeStyle Sports Agency.
Some of the advice backfired on Bailey, and it’s likely why he slightly slipped in the 2025 NBA draft. The Jazz ended up taking Ace Bailey with the fifth overall pick. Recently, Tony Jones from The Athletic reported that Ace Bailey has parted ways with Omar Cooper. Now, Utah’s rookie is actively looking for a real agent to represent him.
Ace Bailey made the wise decision to part ways with his manager, Omar Cooper
Ace Bailey Parts Ways With Agent Omar Cooper, Seeking New Representation https://t.co/5VOatpKhB2
— RealGM (@RealGM) September 24, 2025
Before the 2025 NBA draft in June, Ace Bailey was widely regarded as a consensus top-three pick. That included Duke’s Cooper Flagg and his Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper. Flagg was selected first overall by Dallas, and Harper second by San Antonio. However, the 76ers did not use the third overall pick in the 2025 draft to select Ace Bailey. Instead, they took VJ Edgecombe from Baylor. Bailey slipping in the draft can be tied back to one issue. Omar Cooper was his manager at the time.
Cooper advised the young forward to skip draft workouts with the top five teams. Additionally, it was reported that Omar Cooper told one team in the top five not to select Ace Bailey. The belief was that Omar Cooper wanted to land Bailey in Washington. His son, Sharief Cooper, had just signed a two-way deal with the Wizards. It was far from a coincidence.
Utah Jazz first round pick Ace Bailey is parting ways with manager Omar Cooper, per @Tjonesonthenba & @TheAthletic
The No. 5 pick of the 2025 Draft is seeking new representation
(via omarsharifecooper/IG) pic.twitter.com/k7otMfYJDa
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 24, 2025
After the initial drama, the Jazz are happy to have Ace Bailey on their roster. They know the 19-year-old has a ton of unlocked potential. In college, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. As an organization, the Jazz have struggled over the last three seasons. Their 17-65 record was the worst in the NBA last season.
Parting ways with Omar Cooper was the best decision Ace Bailey could have made. The rookie didn’t need any outside influence to feed him bad information. Bailey is no longer tied to the controversy surrounding Omar Cooper. He can focus on basketball and have a productive first season with the Jazz.
