Sheldon Bailey Fills Some Big Shoes While Pursuing His Many Ambitions

Upon entering the Bay Club, I alerted the front desk that I was there to interview and photograph Sheldon “Big Shel” Bailey. His name was not met with immediate recognition, but the atmosphere instantly shifted as Sheldon’s 6-foot-6-inch frame rounded the corner. Permission was immediately granted with a smile. 

As we walked toward the basketball gym—a walk I am familiar with as a previous member—it was unmistakable how Sheldon commanded attention. Not just because of his towering height, but also his undeniable confidence and swagger. He was greeted with nods, handshakes and high fives as we passed through the gym.

But in some cases, he’s purposely unrecognizable. When Lakers basketball player LeBron James doesn’t have his face showing in a scene, photograph or movie poster, Sheldon subs for him. For a while he was commonly referred to as “the guy who got paid to be LeBron.”

He has since stepped into the spotlight on his own terms, taking on notable roles as ATM in the video game NBA 2K24, Mandy’s boyfriend in Shameless, Ruthless in Nickelodeon’s Game Shakers, and more recently as Clippers player DeAndre Jordan in the critically acclaimed FX mini-series Clipped. “I got to play opposite Laurence Fishburne and Ed Harris,” he says proudly.

Growing up as an Army brat, Sheldon spent his formative years bouncing from Texas to North Carolina. “Basketball was always a big part of my life,” he explains. “While in the Army, my father played semiprofessional basketball on the weekends with a German team. Some of my earliest memories were being in the gym watching my dad play.”

“Landing a role on Shameless was validation that I was a legit actor. It was my first show, and it was a critically acclaimed hit that had nothing to do with basketball, which meant everything to me.”

A natural at the sport, he was an all-star player ranked in the top 30 by age 16. He was offered a Division I scholarship to play basketball at Winthrop University. Eventually he transferred to Florida International University so he could be closer to family members. After college he played professionally overseas. Though active on the court, he also pined to perform on camera.

It was a twist of fate that brought Sheldon to the South Bay—a community he would eventually call home. He arrived with dual ambitions: an opportunity to play on a basketball team while also auditioning for a movie. The movie role didn’t pan out, but he made the team, and the South Bay became his home base. 

“When I think of Sheldon, what immediately comes to mind is his dedication as a father, his work ethic and drive in his career as well as his loyalty as a friend,” says Adam Zahn, a former pro hooper born and raised in Redondo Beach.

In those early days, Sheldon was a single father to his son Solo and needed to hustle—juggling multiple responsibilities to make ends meet. Playing on the team was just the beginning. To support himself, he became a personal trainer, working with an eclectic mix of aspiring athletes including volleyball players and even a water polo player and a snowboarder. Through these experiences, he cultivated a deep understanding of kinesiology and developed a training approach as dynamic as the athletes he worked with.

“Landing a role on Shameless was validation that I was a legit actor,” he says. “It was my first show, and it was a critically acclaimed hit that had nothing to do with basketball, which meant everything to me.”

Whether basketball, training, drama classes or acting in plays, Sheldon’s always game. For him, the two pursuits—basketball and acting—were never at odds but rather complementary aspects of who he was and who he aspired to become. 

“He is so talented yet remains humble, which is one of the most impressive aspects of working with him,” shares his manager, Tammy Hunt. “Sheldon doesn’t take any opportunity for granted, and that’s so important for a manager when you’re working on behalf of a client.”

He has his hands full with three children. Solo is a high school senior about to play college basketball. The tradition continues, and now Sheldon can be the supportive father—just like his father when he was growing up.