Jaylin Williams (basketball, born 2002)
American basketball player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jaylin Michael Williams (born June 29, 2002), nicknamed J-Will, is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. A power forward / center, he was selected by the Thunder in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft. He is the first-ever NBA player of Vietnamese descent. Williams was a member of the Thunder's 2025 NBA championship team.
| No. 6 – Oklahoma City Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 29, 2002 Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Northside (Fort Smith, Arkansas) |
| College | Arkansas (2020–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: 2nd round, 34th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–present | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2022 | →Oklahoma City Blue |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life and family
Jaylin Williams was born June 29, 2002[1] and grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas.[2] Williams's parents are Michael and Linda Williams.[3] Michael Williams was a high school basketball star in Fort Smith, Arkansas.[4][5] He is African-American.[4] Linda Williams was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), South Vietnam and moved to the United States in 1975 after the Vietnam War.[2] She is the daughter of a white United States Air Force pilot and a Vietnamese mother. A teacher, Linda Williams grew up in Hammond, Indiana.[6]
High school career
Williams played basketball for Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he played with his future NBA teammate, Isaiah Joe.[7] As a sophomore, he helped his team reach the Class 7A state final.[8] In his junior season, Williams averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game,[9] and was named Arkansas Division I Player of the Year by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.[10] He led his team to the Class 6A state title and was named tournament MVP after recording 20 points and 16 rebounds in the title game.[11] As a senior, Williams averaged 18.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, earning Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors and repeating as Arkansas Division I Player of the Year.[12][13] A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for the University of Arkansas over an offer from Auburn, among other programs.[14]
College career
As a freshman at the University of Arkansas, Williams averaged 3.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.[15] He became a regular starter in his sophomore season.[16] Williams averaged 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, receiving first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors from the league's coaches. He was a second-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press and made the All-Defensive Team.[9] Williams led the NCAA Division I with 54 charges drawn and grabbed 364 rebounds, setting a program single-season record. He declared for the NBA draft and opted to forgo his remaining college eligibility.[17]
Professional career
Williams was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 34th overall pick,[18] becoming the first player of Vietnamese descent to be drafted in the NBA.[19] Earlier in the same draft, the Thunder selected the similarly-named Jalen Williams. Fans and teammates have taken to calling Jaylin Williams by the nickname "J-Will" and calling Jalen Williams by the nickname "J-Dub" as a means of differentiation.[20]
A power forward,[21] Williams joined the Thunder's 2022 NBA Summer League team.[22] In his Summer League debut, he scored two points and six rebounds in a 98–77 win against the Utah Jazz in the Salt Lake City Summer League.[23] On July 19, 2022, Williams signed with the Thunder.[24]
In October 2024, Williams suffered a right hamstring strain which left him out of the remainder of preseason.[25] Williams returned to active play on December 23.[26] On March 7, Williams recorded his first career triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 107–89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.[27] On March 19, Williams recorded his second career triple-double with 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 133–100 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He also joined Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Josh Giddey, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only players to record multiple triple-doubles in Thunder franchise history.[28]
On June 22, 2025, Williams won an NBA championship when the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 103–91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.[29]
On June 29, 2025, his 23rd birthday, Williams signed a three-year, $24 million contract extension with the Thunder.[30][31]
Williams is the first player of Vietnamese descent to play in the NBA and to win an NBA championship.[2] He is the last player in NBA history to wear jersey number 6. The number 6 was retired league-wide in 2022 following former player Bill Russell's death that year.[32]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Oklahoma City | 49 | 36 | 18.7 | .436 | .407 | .704 | 4.9 | 1.6 | .6 | .2 | 5.9 |
| 2023–24 | Oklahoma City | 69 | 1 | 13.0 | .417 | .368 | .805 | 3.4 | 1.6 | .4 | .4 | 4.0 |
| 2024–25† | Oklahoma City | 47 | 9 | 16.7 | .439 | .399 | .767 | 5.6 | 2.6 | .5 | .6 | 5.9 |
| 2025–26 | Oklahoma City | 65 | 11 | 19.6 | .423 | .383 | .793 | 5.5 | 2.4 | .5 | .6 | 7.2 |
| Career | 230 | 57 | 16.8 | .428 | .387 | .770 | 4.8 | 2.0 | .5 | .5 | 5.7 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Oklahoma City | 10 | 0 | 12.7 | .485 | .409 | .750 | 3.2 | 1.5 | .4 | .3 | 4.4 |
| 2025† | Oklahoma City | 17 | 0 | 8.3 | .429 | .360 | .545 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .1 | 2.6 |
| 2026 | Oklahoma City | 15 | 0 | 16.0 | .400 | .360 | .667 | 4.1 | 1.5 | .5 | .2 | 4.9 |
| Career | 42 | 0 | 12.1 | .429 | .371 | .619 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .5 | .2 | 3.9 | |