Around this time in the NBA calendar, not many stories are making headlines. Many players and front office members are taking time to decompress and cool off from the prior season before the next season begins to ramp up in the coming months
But for Utah Jazz wing Ace Bailey, this time in the summer isn’t time for chilling out. He’s motivated to get in the gym and get even better for his second season than how he did for his first
And in the process to do so, Bailey is getting some work in with one of his basketball idols, and really, one of the greatest basketball players of this generation: 16-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant
Ace Bailey Getting Busy in Offseason Workouts With Kevin Durant
In a video posted from @mariportfolio5 on Instagram, both Bailey and Durant were working out in the gym with each other, particularly fine-tuning their mid-range game
Ace Bailey in the gym with KD 🔥 🎥: mariportfolio5 on IG pic.twitter.com/7RQTfQ7z2z
— Kato Pariña (@KatoParinaSLC) August 5, 2026
It’s certainly a huge opportunity for Bailey to be able to work with Durant in the gym like he is here. Multiple times throughout last season, the Jazz’s fifth-overall pick was vocal about his praise for the 15-time All-Star, and expressed how much he’s watched and studied Durant’s game to add onto his own
There were even moments last year when that some of his teammates noticed that he and Durant have similar mannerisms on the floor
“I watched a lot of his game. I mean, my game is his game low-key,” Bailey said in an interview with Kevin O’Connor. “I mean, it hit me a moment—like one of my teammates was like, ‘Bro, y’all just did the same move’ He did the little spin fade—not the spin fade, but the spin on the little spin jump shot creation. I came down and did the same thing. It was just like, “Bro,” I didn’t even realize. It’s crazy
That praise from Bailey for Durant’s game isn’t just one-sided either; Durant has taken notice of Utah’s young star as well
After the Jazz’s first preseason game for the 2025-26 season against the Houston Rockets, it was Durant who credited Bailey after his first-ever NBA game, as he showed love for both the player and the organization that the fifth-overall pick was selected to
“Dynamic player,” Durant said of Bailey back in October 2025. “I think he’s gonna be a hell of a player. I love the coaching staff that he’s with, I love that he got drafted to Utah. Good development program over there that I’m looking forward to see how he progresses.”
Now, the two guys are working out with each other in the dead months of the NBA offseason. Which, which, for Jazz fans, is certainly a pleasant sight to see
Utah’s future as a whole relies heavily on the type of player that Bailey is able to develop into, and he’s already shown a ton of upside as is. But the more work he’s able to get with a talent like Durant, the better he’ll likely look moving forward as a result
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Published Aug 6, 2026
JARED KOCH
Jared Koch is the deputy editor of Utah Jazz On SI. He’s covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, contributing to Denver Broncos On SI, Indianapolis Colts On SI, and Sacramento Kings On SI. He has covered multiple NBA and NFL events on site, and his works have also appeared on Bleacher Report, MSN, and Yahoo
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