LOS ANGELES — It's hard to find a time when Sierra Canyon junior Amari Bailey isn't in the gym — lacing up his shoes, picking up a basketball and getting to work.
In fact, hard work is really all Bailey has known his whole life.
"I really get a lot of shots up late-night," Bailey said. "Sometimes I'm up in the gym 2-3 in the morning, just for the love of the game."
"I feel like any time I step in between these four lines, I can just be free and express myself," he continued. "It's just like a blank canvas where I can express my emotions."
The junior guard has always had an impressive drive. It's been there since his mom first put a basketball into his hands as a young kid, but it really kicked into gear in the fourth grade, when Bailey said he was cut from his elementary school basketball team.
"Just like that feeling of being replaced and that someone can just take your spot at any given time," he said, remembering that day. "That just gave me a chip on my shoulder to go out there and compete and be myself every day."
Years later, that push was what he needed, he said.
His drive and unique talent carried him to Sierra Canyon, which is widely regarded as the West Coast capital for basketball's best up-and-coming stars — and where he's become one of the top-ranked players in the nation.
Sure he'd been a key player in his freshman and sophomore seasons, but to Bailey, this year was about his team and personal legacy.
"Legacy is everything to me," he said. "That's been my whole thing as it relates to playing here at Sierra Canyon, knowing how prestigious of a school this is."
"I'm very prideful, and I take a lot of heat to it," he continued. "I don't want to be joked around like that was your team that didn't make things happen."
And while, led by Bailey, the Trailblazers have seen plenty of success, they've also faced a tough loss.
In last week's CIF Championship game, Sierra Canyon was upset by Corona Centennial, marking the program's first playoff loss since 2018.
Losing isn't something Bailey knows well, but he took a lesson from one of the game's biggest stars, Lebron James, who was in attendance court-side on that night.
"I think Bron put it best to me after the game. He said, 'You can either let this put a fire under you and come back with a vengeance, or you can just mope about it,'" Bailey said. "I can't really hang my head on that."
To Bailey, a winner is something he already is and always will be. He may be just 17-years-old, but at a school of up-and-coming talent, Bailey's light is unique in a city of stars.
"I am just enjoying my life, being me, being free," he said. "Living in the fast lane right now and kinda enjoying it."
To Sierra Canyon, Bailey's stat sheet speaks for itself. To those that know him, he's got a personality that's one of a kind. And to the rest of the world following his journey, Bailey's brand is all his own.
Altogether the three aspects have made him one of the best players in the country, but to Bailey, his time to shine has long been building.
"When I was in fourth grade, I got sent to the principal's office," he said with a laugh. "I had a conversation with my mom about it, and she was on me about your time is now to take control of your life. You don't want to be 17 or 18 and not know what you want to do.”
"Why should I have to take a backseat if I can push myself to [be] the best I can be," Bailey said.