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Former UCLA High-Flyer Makes Most of NBA Summer League Debut

Loads of potential!

Noel Sanchez

Former UCLA High-Flyer Makes Most of NBA Summer League Debut
Former UCLA High-Flyer Makes Most of NBA Summer League Debut /
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When the Charlotte Hornets selected Amari Bailey in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, the immediate reaction was that in a few years down the line, we could be looking at him falling that low as one of the biggest steals of that class. Bailey was coming off of a 2022-2023 campaign with the UCLA Bruins that saw him average about 11 points, four rebounds and two assists across 27 minutes per game.

Bailey is a southpaw guard that loves to rim run and eventually started to get more comfortable attacking with his right hand. He brought forth a level of toughness and athleticism that the Bruins needed coming into the year and if it wasn't for Julian Strawther hitting a three from near the logo, it would've been Bailey's clutch shot that sent UCLA to the Elite 8 last season.

But now the former Sierra Canyon star will be continuing his basketball career with the Charlotte Hornets and he already got some action in their first summer league game on Monday. Bailey took the floor with other prominent young players in the Hornets organization such as Brandon Miller, Nick Smith Jr. and James Bouknight. He played for about 16 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs and logged six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

He also gave us this huge fast break dunk... take a look for yourself!

We are super excited to see how Bailey will be able to continue to develop this summer and make the entire Bruins community proud!

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Noel Sanchez
NOEL SANCHEZ

Noel is currently in his third year at California Polytechnic University of Pomona and is pursuing a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Multi-Media Journalism. He has always had a deep passion for sports and writing.