Not to be confused with Jalen Williams.
For others with the same name, see Jaylin Williams (disambiguation).

Jaylin Williams
No. 6 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Position Power forward / center
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2002-06-29) June 29, 2002 (age 23)
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
  • NBA champion (2025)
  • First-team All-SEC – Coaches (2022)
  • Second-team All-SEC – AP (2022)
  • SEC All-Defensive Team (2022)
  • Mr. Basketball of Arkansas (2020)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

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.

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

Legend
  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

References

  1. ^ "Jaylin Michael Williams". FIBA. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Mussatto, Joe (January 26, 2023). "Thunder rookie Jaylin Williams has support of OKC's Vietnamese community". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Who is Jaylin Williams? Get to know OKC Thunder forward from Arkansas". The Oklahoman. May 7, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Sayadee, Aayaan (May 17, 2025). "Who Are Jaylin Williams Parents? Everything To Know About Michael Williams And Linda Williams". Essentially Sports.
  5. ^ Orange, Alyssa (March 22, 2022). "The community that raised Jaylin Williams". kark.com.
  6. ^ Spears, Marc (June 9, 2025). "Oklahoma City Thunder center Jaylin Williams making history in NBA Finals". Andscape.
  7. ^ Allen, Nate (November 27, 2021). "Fort Smith Northside duo contribute big at Arkansas". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Dawson, Dudley E. (April 7, 2018). "Fort Smith Northside's Williams continues sprouting up". WholeHogSports. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Jaylin Williams". Arkansas Razorbacks. July 6, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "DI Boys Player of the Year: Jaylin Williams • FS Northside". The Northwest Arkansas Times. April 7, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Taylor, Erick (March 9, 2019). "'Humble' Northside earns respect". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "Williams named Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year". Southwest Times Record. March 27, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  13. ^ Boyd, Paul (March 27, 2020). "All-NWADG Basketball: Williams expands game looking to college". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Davenport, Richard (November 23, 2019). "Fort Smith Northside's Jaylin Williams commits to Arkansas". The Northwest Arkansas Times. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  15. ^ Jones, Taylor (March 2, 2022). "Jaylin Williams Deserves More Respect". Razorbacks Wire. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  16. ^ Collier, Jackson (May 21, 2022). "2021-22 Season in Review: Jaylin Williams". Rivals. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  17. ^ Whaley, Logan (May 30, 2022). "Jaylin Williams staying in NBA Draft, will not return to Arkansas". KY3. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  18. ^ Almanza, Clemente. "2022 NBA draft: Thunder select Jaylin Williams at No. 34". OKC Thunder Wire.
  19. ^ Coleman, Sarah (June 24, 2022). "Jaylin Williams Picked by the Oklahoma City Thunder in NBA Draft". About You. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  20. ^ OKC Thunder (June 25, 2022). "just to be clear: J-Dub = Jalen Williams (Santa Clara) J-Will = Jaylin Williams (Arkansas)". X. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  21. ^ Greco, Jonathan (June 30, 2025). "Thunder's Jalen Williams to undergo wrist surgery". KOCO.
  22. ^ "Oklahoma City Thunder 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". nba.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  23. ^ "Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz Jul 5, 2022 Box Scores". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  24. ^ "Thunder Signs Second-Round Pick Jaylin Williams". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  25. ^ Lorenzi, Joel (October 3, 2024). "Jaylin Williams injury update: OKC Thunder forward out for preseason with hamstring strain". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  26. ^ Styles, Rylan (December 23, 2024). "OKC Thunder Excited To Have Jaylin Williams Back in Fold, For Good Reason". Oklahoma City Thunder on SI. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  27. ^ Styles, Rylan (March 7, 2025). "OKC Thunder Reserve Notches Triple Double Against Trail Blazers". Oklahoma City Thunder on SI. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  28. ^ Pavon, Josue (March 20, 2025). "Thunder center Jaylin Williams' immediate reaction to career night vs. 76ers". ClutchPoints. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  29. ^ Feldscher, Jacob Lev, Kevin Dotson, Issy Ronald, Jamie Barton, Kyle (June 22, 2025). "The Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA championship after defeating Indiana Pacers in winner-take-all Game 7". CNN. Retrieved June 27, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Thunder sign Jaylin Williams to multi-year extension". NBA.com. June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  31. ^ "Thunder Signs Jaylin Williams to Multi-Year Contract Extension". NBA.com. June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  32. ^ Aker, Nate (October 4, 2025). "Jaylin Williams Expresses Gratitude Toward NBA Hall-of-Famer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 3, 2025.