Ace Bailey found himself as the center of attention on NBA Draft night after being selected by the Jazz, despite Utah not being on his wish list. Since that point, Bailey has worked to quell any concerns that he isn’t happy to be in Utah as the Summer League approaches.

Bailey’s controversial agent, Omar Cooper, has largely remained quiet since his client was drafted, but an appearance by Cooper’s son as a guest coach for the Jazz ahead of the Summer League raised some eyebrows about his influence on the former Rutgers star.

As it turns out, Cooper is the head of a wide-reaching basketball family.

Here’s what you need to know about Cooper’s family and NBA connections as Bailey’s career gets underway.

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Omar Cooper family tree

Sharife Cooper

Cooper’s son, Sharife, was a five-star recruit and Auburn commit out of high school in 2020, but he missed the first 11 games of the Tigers’ season due to an NCAA investigation into his eligibility. The exact details of the NCAA’s concerns never became public, but his father’s status as an agent could have been a factor. 

Despite missing a portion of the season, Cooper declared for the NBA Draft after only one year at Auburn and slipped all the way to the No. 48 pick, where he was selected by the Hawks. Cooper appeared in only 13 NBA games, scoring seven total points, and he has played overseas since 2024; he currently plays for JDA Dijon in France.

MORE:Complete NBA Summer League rosters

Te’a Cooper

Cooper’s daughter, Te’a, played basketball at Tennessee, South Carolina and Baylor and spent two seasons in the WNBA with the Sparks after being selected in the second round of the 2020 WNBA Draft. 

Cooper was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection in her only season at Baylor before turning professional. She took a hiatus from basketball after 2021 before returning to the court for French team Tarbes Gespe Bigorre in 2025.

MORE:Who is controversial agent Omar Cooper?

Omar Cooper Jr.

Cooper’s other son, Omar Jr., spent time playing basketball at the junior college level before transferring to McNeese, where he spent two seasons under coach Will Wade. Cooper started 27 of 34 games in 2023-24 for a Cowboys team that reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed, though he was limited to 11 games in his final season. Omar Jr. is Sharife’s twin. 

We’re told Omar Cooper Jr. is a guest coach for the Utah Jazz in summer league.

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) July 2, 2025

Cooper made headlines when he appeared at Jazz practice as a guest coach for the Summer League, which will see Bailey operate as the centerpiece of the roster. The decision by the Jazz raised some eyebrows of those who believe the Cooper family might have too much influence over Bailey.

MORE:Every NBA team’s biggest draft regret in team history

Omar Cooper NBA connections

Isaac Okoro

Newly-acquired Bulls wing Isaac Okoro is a former client of Cooper’s LifeStyle Sports Agency. Okoro started playing basketball with Cooper as his coach at seven or eight years old, and he continued to play for Cooper on the agent’s AAU team in high school. It was at that point that Cooper launched his agency, though Okoro is now represented by Excel Sports Management. Like Sharife Cooper, Okoro spent his college career at Auburn.

Brandon Boston Jr.

Pelicans wing Brandon Boston Jr. also played alongside Okoro and Sharife Cooper on Omar Cooper’s AAU team. Boston was a five-star recruit when he committed to Kentucky, but he became a late second-round pick in 2021, just three picks after Sharife.

Boston has appeared in 147 games over four NBA seasons, averaging 10.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for a depleted New Orleans team in 2024-25.