Jazz Rookie Ace Bailey To Have High School Jersey Retired
Aug 22, 2025, 2:22 PM | Updated: 2:30 pm
Ace Bailey #4 looks on during the first half of the mens 2024 McDonald's All American Game (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey will have his No. 4 jersey retired at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia.
The ceremony will take place during halftime of McEachern’s football game against North Cobb on Friday night.
Related: Ace Bailey Makes Nike Debut With Giannis Antetokounmpo
Ace Bailey To Have High School Jersey Retired
Bailey led an illustrious run at McEachern, winning region titles in 2023 and 2024, while reaching the state tournament final in 2024 as a senior.
The superstar prep prospect averaged 32.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game while being named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year and the state’s Mr. Basketball.
View this post on Instagram
“He wanted to retire his jersey here,” coach Tremayne Anchrum said in a social media post from the Jazz. “He wanted to get his jersey retired, he wanted to leave a legacy with the program, and he fulfilled it.
The forward left high school as the second-ranked high school prospect in the nation before attending Rutgers and entering the NBA Draft.
“It’s everything to me when a kid realizes his dream,” Anchrum added.
Bailey To Wear No. 19 With Jazz
After wearing the No. 4 jersey in high school at college, Bailey will switch to No. 19 with the Jazz.
The Jazz retired Adrian Dantley’s No. 4 in 2011, leading the rookie to pick a new, special number in honor of his late grandmother, Alicia Langston.
.@AiriousB wears No. 19 for a very special reason 💙 pic.twitter.com/Dh2DylsHmf
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) July 21, 2025
“My grandma, she died on the 19th,” Bailey explained, “She was born on the 29th, so I was going to do 29, but 19 is more recent.”
Bailey comes from a long line of basketball players, including his father Richard Bailey who played at Houston, his mother Ramika McGee who played at West Virginia, and his aunt Venus Lacy, who played for the USA’s Gold Medal-winning team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
The Tennessee native was among the top freshman scorers in the draft, averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 34 percent from three.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
