Cooper Flagg was expected to grab the headlines before the 2025 Draft day. The Duke star was the #1 consensus pick, and the Mavericks selected him #1 overall. However, there was another top star who made all the noise, but not for the right reason. Rutgers Scarlet Knights standout Ace Bailey was another potential franchise cornerstone. However, the energy around the All-Big Ten forward changed dramatically as the draft day came closer. Reason? His former agent Omar Cooper.

Who is Ace Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper?

Omar Cooper runs his own LifeStyle Sports Agency. He is also the father of former Auburn player and 5-star recruit Sharife Cooper. The former No. 27 overall recruit played just 12 college games as a freshman due to missing the first 12 as the NCAA investigated his eligibility. Surprisingly, he declared for the draft in 2021. At the time, many felt that Sharife needed another year to showcase his talents. But his father, Omar Cooper, apparently made the decision.

To make matters worse, Shareife just played 13 games in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, spending most of his time in the G League. Since he has played for pro teams in China, Turkiye, Greece, and France. Before returning this year with the Wizards and their G League team.

Omar Cooper’s Role in Ace Bailey’s Career

He met with Bailey, who played on Cooper’s Athletes of Tomorrow basketball team. In fact, the 19-year-old star even moved from Tennessee to Georgia in high school to be closer to Cooper. He was quick to notice the spark in Ace Bailey, which he honed over the years before the rookie year selection. Omar helped develop Bailey in high school, as the future Rutgers star was one of several boys and girls whom Cooper took under his wing.

In fact, Cooper then helped connect Bailey to Rutgers as a recruit out of high school. Speaking about the training methods of Bailey, the former agent once said, “The plan was to keep Ace in the gym 24/7.” Further adding, via Kevin Armstrong of NJ Advanced Media. “For the most part, it was sunup to sundown for him to be able to turn the corner.” Despite helping in the Jazz rookie’s career, did you know that Omar Cooper isn’t even a certified agent and isn’t registered with the NBPA?

Why did Ace Bailey part ways with Omar Cooper?

It was The Athletic that reported on the player-manager Omar Cooper and Ace Bailey splitting up. As of now, there is no official reason. But the entire past few months and the handling of the entire draft process can be speculated to be one of the reasons. That’s right, not being an official agent, but Marc Stein claims Omar Cooper—an uncertified representative and Sharife Cooper’s father—is leading Bailey’s camp. Teams reportedly refer to Cooper as the “primary contact.”

Being the primary contact, he apparently called the shots. Reports said Cooper actually told at least one franchise in the top five to pass on drafting him. Ace was supposed to be one of the top three picks in the draft, but he refused a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers, who held the third overall pick in the draft.  Furthermore, Bailey had reportedly declined invitations for a visit from the Charlotte Hornets, who had the fourth overall pick. It was the Utah Jazz with their 5th pick, who took the gamble on the 19-year-old.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony dropped a bombshell on the draft night. “Utah was not one of his preferred destinations. He was hoping to get to either Washington, New Orleans, or Brooklyn.” The plot got thicker despite the franchise selecting the Rutgers alum. Bailey didn’t fly in with fellow rookie Walter Clayton Jr., which further created doubts about his intentions to play in the NBA. In this entire ordeal, Omar Cooper was the one who was the man responsible for apparently creating the chaos.

Then there were the odd reports about Cooper seeking payment for Ace Bailey’s interviews during the college season, a move that rubbed media and teams the wrong way. It all painted a picture of an agent playing hardball without the usual leverage.

Omar Cooper’s Career Beyond Ace Bailey

As stated earlier, Omar Cooper was more or less a player-manager. Daniel E Green of Green Sports Management and Adie Von Gontard of Young Money APAA Sports Group are Bailey’s actual NBA-certified agents. Yet, Omar Cooper has a very small client list. According to RealGM.com, Cooper currently represents Rutgers player Tariq Francis and G League free agent Babatunde Akingbola. Not only is he not certified by the NBPA, but his track record also includes brushes with legal trouble.

Another controversy was when the Jazz sought to hire Omar Cooper Jr., the son of Bailey’s former manager Omar Cooper, as an unpaid guest coach during Summer League action. Those plans had to be dropped quickly once the NBA raised concerns about them. Cooper Jr. played college basketball at McNeese State and plans to go into coaching. The Jazz had hoped his presence would ease Bailey’s transition into the NBA, but the league was clearly concerned about a conflict of interest.

With all of these behind-the-scenes issues, one can understand if Ace Bailey decided to part ways with Omar Cooper.