"I was a fish out of the water": NBA G-League player and former UCLA star Amari Bailey opens up on his transfer to Sierra Canyon in high school

Former UCLA star Amari Bailey has opened up about his time playing high school basketball at Sierra Canyon, which is the current school of Lebron James’ son, Bryce James.

Bailey, who currently plays for the Iowa Wolves in the NBA G-League, played high school basketball at Sierra Canyon and had success in his time there.

However, Amari Bailey said he had doubts after making the move because he felt out of place having grown up in Chicago. The 6-foot-3 guard revealed this in an interview shared on Overtime’s Instagram page on Jan 20, 2025.

“Transferring into Sierra Canyon was super trippy. Just being the new kid on the block for the first time and not really knowing anyone, Bailey said.

“I was a fish out of water having gone from Chicago to being in the valley. Culture shock, a lot of adjustments. That was a transition and actually getting there and being able to just have the platform to be myself.

“I think that was the biggest thing that I enjoyed about Sierra, Bailey added.

Amari Bailey at Sierra Canyon

Despite feeling out of place in his early days at Sierra Canyon, Bailye would eventually go on to achieve big things at the school.

The Iowa Wolves star helped the team win the Open Division State Title by the California Interscholastic Federation in his freshman year, scoring nine points, three rebounds and four assists in the championship game against Sheldon.

At Sierra Canyon, Amari Bailey was a 4-year varsity basketball letterman which is awarded to athletes who achieve a certain standard or participation in a sport.

In his Sophomore year, Bailey averaged 15.6 points per game before going on to average 29.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game in his junior year.

His performance in his Junior year earned him California Mr. Basketball, the MaxPreps.com California Player of the Year, Los Angeles Daily News All-Area Player of the Year, and Gold Coast League MVP.

As a senior in the 2021-2022 season, Bailey was a McDonald's All-American. He was the No.5 overall prospect in the class of 2022 and the No.2 shooting guard as per ESPN rankings.

During his time at Sierra Canyon, Bailey also played with Bronny James, the son of Lebron, before committing to UCLA for college basketball.

Bailey would go on to play just one season at UCLA before declaring for the NBA draft, where he was drafted 21st overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 2023.