Ace Bailey Gets His All-Star Moment: Jazz Rookie Named Rising Stars Replacement
Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey is headed to Los Angeles for All-Star Weekend-and no, Jazz fans, this isn’t a trade alert or a roster shakeup. It’s actually a well-earned nod to one of the league’s most promising young players.
The NBA announced that Bailey has been selected as a replacement for Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg in the 2026 Rising Stars Game. Flagg is sidelined with a left foot sprain, opening the door for Bailey to join Team Melo, coached by none other than Carmelo Anthony, in Friday night’s showcase.
This is a big moment for Bailey-and a deserved one. He was the only top-nine pick from the 2025 NBA Draft left off the original Rising Stars roster. That omission raised a few eyebrows at the time, but Bailey’s recent play made it tough to keep him off the court in L.A. any longer.
At just 19 years old, Bailey has been steadily building his case all season. While he didn’t come out of the gates lighting up box scores, his growth has been impossible to ignore. Earlier this week, he became the youngest player in Jazz franchise history to reach 500 career points-a milestone that speaks volumes about his trajectory.
Over his last 12 games, Bailey has been averaging 15.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, shooting an efficient 46.7% from the field and 34.4% from three-point range. He’s started 37 of the Jazz’s 48 games so far and already has seven 20-point outings under his belt. That’s the kind of production that doesn’t just earn you minutes-it earns you recognition.
Now, he gets to put his skills on display on one of the NBA’s biggest stages for young talent.
Bailey joins a long list of Jazz players who’ve made their mark in the Rising Stars Game, a list that includes names like Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and more recently, Walker Kessler and Keyonte George. It’s a tradition of rising talent that Bailey now becomes a part of-and potentially, one of its brightest stars.
The Rising Stars format has evolved into a mini-tournament featuring three teams made up of top rookies and sophomores, along with a fourth team of G League standouts. Team Melo will take the floor in the first game of the night at the Intuit Dome-home of the L.A.
Clippers-with action tipping off at 7 p.m. MST on Peacock.
For Bailey, it’s not just a chance to compete-it’s a chance to show the rest of the league what Jazz fans have been seeing for months: a young star finding his rhythm, and fast.