Who is Jaylin Williams? Get to know OKC Thunder forward from Arkansas
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Jaylin Williams is in his third season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after he was selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Arkansas.
Here is what else you need to know about the Thunder big man:
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More: Thunder vs Nuggets score, live updates: How to watch Game 2 of NBA playoff series
Where is Jaylin Williams from?
Jaylin Williams was born June 29, 2002, growing up about 180 miles east of Oklahoma City in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
He was high school teammates with fellow Thunder player Isaiah Joe and they later played together at Arkansas.
More: OKC Thunder faces NBA playoff dilemma: How to best defend Nuggets star Nikola Jokic
Get to know Jaylin Williams' parents, Vietnamese heritage
Jaylin Williams's parents are Michael and Linda Williams. Jaylin has three brothers and one sister.
Williams' Vietnamese heritage comes from his mom's side. Linda Williams was born in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, before moving to the United States with her mom, Nga, in 1975 after the Vietnam War.
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The Thunder big man is the first player of Vietnamese descent ever to play in the NBA.
'It never dawned on us he would be,' Linda Williams told The Oklahoman in 2023. 'It's so special to our family, to Jaylin … I'm still in awe of my son and what he's capable of doing.'
More: Did OKC Thunder's lack of clutch-time experience lead to Game 1 collapse vs. Nuggets?
Is Jaylin Williams related to Jalen Williams?
Jalen Williams, left, and Jaylin Willams ham it up for the cameras. Thunder media day ay the Paycom Center Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.
No. Stop asking.
Blame the Thunder for the confusion, if you must, for drafting both players in the 2022 NBA Draft.
That was a spectacular draft for Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who was named NBA Executive of the Year on Tuesday. OKC drafted Chet Holmgren second overall, Ousmane Dieng 11th, Jalen Williams 12th and Jaylin Williams 34th.
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Jaylin Williams making impact in Game 2 of Thunder-Nuggets playoff series
Thunder outscored Denver 10-2 in a 3-min span with Jaylin Williams on the floor Wednesday night in the first half. That lineup with him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren had a 40 defensive rating. And saw him push back on Russell Westbrook and match his intensity, which hadn't really happened to this point.
Follow along from Game 2 live HERE.
More: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti named NBA Basketball Executive of the Year for first time
Jaylin Williams' stats with OKC Thunder in 2024-25 season
Points per game: 5.9
Rebounds per game: 5.6
Assists per game: 2.6
Games played: 47 (nine starts)
Minutes per game: 16.7
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who is Jaylin Williams? Get to know OKC Thunder forward from Arkansas
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