"Shedeur Sanders vibes lol": Hoops fans react as Ace Bailey allegedly names his Top 3 NBA teams to be drafted into

Former Rutgers star Ace Bailey had a stellar season for the Scarlet Knights alongside guard Dylan Harper. The duo have dominated several mock drafts as projected lottery picks ahead of the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Bailey commandeered the headlines when he canceled a workout with the Philadelphia 76ers at the last minute. During a segment of "ESPN Bet Live," ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony revealed that the former Rutgers star preferred to be drafted by either the Washington Wizards (No. 6), New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7) or the Brooklyn Nets (No. 8).

College basketball fans on Instagram had mixed reactions to Ace Bailey picking the NBA teams that he would like to play for with some even comparing him to Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders who dramatically slid to the fifth round on NFL draft night.

"Shedeur Sanders vibes lol. Pelicans need to do what they can to draft him tho," one fan said.

"Utah," another fan said.

"These kids need to be happy wherever they go and hustle that's why this league keeps getting worse," one fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans.

"Boy tryna just chunk up shots," one fan said.

"Teams where he can take most of the scoring load to start his career. Don't like how he's going about his draft process but I don't blame him with those teams," another fan said.

"Please God no, I need VJ Edgecombe on the Hornets," one fan said.

Fan's comments on IG

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ESPN analyst backs Ace Bailey to shine in the NBA

During a segment of the "Dunc'd On" podcast, ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony backed Ace Bailey to be a hit in the NBA despite the controversy surrounding his draft future after he canceled several pre-draft workouts with teams with lottery picks.

“I’ve watched him enough to be bullish about his upside and what he brings to the table and the level of competitor that he is and his talent,” Givony said. “But I understand all the skepticism and all the red flags that people have and so it’s going to be very fascinating to see how it turns out.

“He can play three. He can play four. You can even play some jumbo lineups with him at the two. I just think that his floor is going to end up being pretty high And I think he’s got a very very high ceiling."

Ace Bailey will be one of the most intriguing prospects of the 2025 NBA Draft class with his pre-draft process, the subject of widespread speculation among both fans and analysts.