Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe host NBA championship parade at Arkansas
A month after hosting their OKC championship parade, Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe brought the party back home in Fort Smith, AR. As most know, Williams and Joe have been tied at the hip in their basketball journeys. Both played at the same high school and at Arkansas before finally becoming teammates on the Thunder, too.
The two Thunder role players had their moments throughout last season when they stepped up. Joe had a career season off the bench and Williams turned into a weapon for OKC against the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic in Round 2 of the playoffs.
Williams and Joe hosted a championship parade at Arkansas on Thursday. It was their turn to babysit the Larry O'Brien trophy. All of their Thunder teammates will get a chance to spend time with the prestigious trophy this offseason, as is tradition.
It's nice to see Williams and Joe give back to the community where they grew up. Especially at a spot where most local folks grew up as Thunder fans, considering the proximity. Both role players have always been proud of their background and have represented Arkansas when they've received the chance to do so.
Forever thankful for Fort Smith 🙌@Jay_MWilliams_ and @zai_joe1 celebrate with the community that raised them 💙 pic.twitter.com/9iPnTDTCK2
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"They've definitely cleaned it up in that aspect" - Parish on why he's in favor of the so-called 'soft' NBA era
"They've definitely cleaned it up in that aspect" - Parish on why he's in favor of the so-called 'soft' NBA era originally appeared on Basketball Network. Many NBA legends are critical of how the game is being played these days. For most of them, the league has gone "soft." While that might be the case in today's NBA, Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish doesn't see anything wrong with it. During his playing years, Parish was one of the most dominant big men in the league. He never shied away from banging bodies with his matchups season after season. The Chief believes that today's NBA players are no longer doing the same, and it makes the game "better." Parish argued that players couldn't play their game back then because of too much physicality. Today, however, Robert can see most players being able to play their game without getting hacked or hurt. "From a physicality standpoint, I think it's better because first of all, you're eliminating a lot of the altercations that went on when they had the hand-checking and the bumping and grinding impeding players' progress when they wanted to make a move," Parish told The Signal in a Q&A session in 2016. "So, they've definitely cleaned it up in that aspect." Parish is against load management Even though Parish supports the NBA's shift from physical to softball, he disagrees with some league trends and practices, one of which is load management. For Robert, load management should not exist in a prestigious and competitive league such as the NBA. He believes injuries could be prevented in many ways without compromising the number of games a player is supposed to play each season. The Chief noted that being healthy is the result of a player's discipline and work ethic. He thinks all players are obliged to stay fit to avoid injuries, and resting should never be an option. For Parish, that's what LeBron James does best, and his longevity speaks volumes about his remarkable conditioning. "First of all, I find it insulting. First and foremost, your main and most significant priority should be fitness and conditioning. Load management should not be an issue unless you're coming off a significant injury," the nine-time NBA All-Star once said of load management. "We're all tired. We're all banged up and beat up. You take personal pride in your fitness and conditioning." "Everybody in the NBA needs to take a page out of LeBron's book in terms of fitness and conditioning, to take it as serious as he does. If you take care of your body the way LeBron does, load management should not be an issue," he pointed made a good point In all fairness, Parish made a good point with his take on today's NBA. He enlightened fans about the positive side of the soft NBA era and what players should do to stay healthy, apart from load management. Not everybody would agree with Robert, but he was right about players being able to maximize their abilities because of the absence of physicality. Moreover, Parish has also proven that load management isn't the key to avoiding injuries, as he lasted 21 years in the NBA just by being disciplined and dedicated. All told, it's quite interesting to know that a legendary player from the past era believes that the evolution of the game is good for the story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"It was never suggested" - Phil Jackson revealed what the Bulls could've done to make him and Michael Jordan stay
"It was never suggested" - Phil Jackson revealed what the Bulls could've done to make him and Michael Jordan stay originally appeared on Basketball Network. The late former Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause made it clear to Phil Jackson that he would go even if the team went 82-0 in the 1997-98 season. On the other hand, Michael Jordan also let the Bulls front office know that he wouldn't stay and play for another coach other than Jackson. Krause's decision led to the Bulls' "The Last Dance," a farewell run which Jackson felt could've been prevented from happening. According to Phil, he couldn't do anything if Krause wanted to get rid of him. However, they could've done something to convince Jordan to stick around. For Jackson he would probably consider coaching the Bulls for longer just to ensure Jordan wouldn't retire. However, he never got the chance to be in that situation. "On the bus ride to our shootaround, assistant GM Jim Stack tells me Jerry Reinsdorf just gave an extensive interview about the club's future and not to be surprised if the media are all over me. They were -- five deep, asking, 'Are you really the one responsible for the breakup of the Bulls?' I deflected them, saying, 'We have a very important game tonight, and if we don't win the championship, everything is moot.' Yes, it's time for me to take some time off. The only thing management could have said that would have changed things is, 'Stay on until Michael is finished, so we can be sure we have him back until he retires.' But it was never suggested," Phil wrote in 1998 via ESPN. How MJ would've stayed in Chicago even without Phil As the Bulls' Last Dance unfolded, Krause remained adamant about his plan to rebuild. He would've wanted Jordan to stay, but he couldn't say the same thing about Jackson. For MJ, it was plain and simple – if Jackson's out, he's out. However, Jordan admitted that maybe, just maybe, he would've opted to stay with the Bulls even without Phil as the coach if the team could find a way to recruit his UNC coach and mentor Dean Smith. "[Phil] He didn't have a future in front of him right now, so he considers it to be 'The Last Dance.' I'm like the same way. I'm considering this to be the moment until something is shown in the future, for the future," Jordan told Stuart Scott in an interview. "Would there be another coach for me to play for? I have not thought about it in a sense other than Dean Smith, you know, [but] I don't think he's coming back at it in coaching."The Bulls never found another Jordan-type player Just as Krause planned, the Bulls let go of Jackson after the '98 Finals. MJ also retired that summer and the majority of the Bulls' veterans also left the team. It is now widely regarded as the end of an era in the NBA. Krause and the Bulls moved on from Jackson and MJ. With his team management skills, Krause did his best to recruit pieces that could build the team's new foundation, but to no avail. The Bulls were able to sign a few notable players but none of them ever replaced Jordan. To this day, Chicago has yet to assemble a squad that could beat or even match the depth of the Jackson and Jordan-led '90s story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"He truly disliked Magic" - Michael Jordan couldn't stand Magic Johnson due to his connection with Isiah Thomas
"He truly disliked Magic" - Michael Jordan couldn't stand Magic Johnson due to his connection with Isiah Thomas originally appeared on Basketball Network. Michael Jordan's relationship with Isiah Thomas has been well-documented over the years, from the bruising playoff battles to the infamous All-Star "freeze-out" and the Dream Team snub. But according to "The Jordan Rules," Jordan's issues didn't end with Thomas. His dislike stretched further — to Magic Johnson — and it had everything to do with who Magic chose to keep close. "He'd had this rivalry with Isiah Thomas," Sam Smith wrote in The Jordan Rules. "First about who really was Chicago's favorite son (Isiah once was), then about the games against the Pistons and their tactics against him, and then the alleged freeze-out of Jordan in his rookie All-Star game. … But he truly disliked Magic because of the connection with Isiah." That connection proved too much for Jordan to ignore. Even though Magic was a towering figure in the league and admired by most, his bond with Thomas made him suspect in Jordan's eyes. The feud between Jordan and Thomas wasn't, of course, just about basketball. It was personal. And anyone who stood by Thomas risked getting caught in the crossfire. The tension didn't last forever For a stretch, the distance between Jordan and Magic was obvious. But over time, the wall began to crack. When Johnson announced in 1991 that he had tested positive for HIV, he was met with a wave of emotion and support from around the league. One of the first people he called was Jordan. "Eventually, they'd get past it and when Magic learned of his HIV, Jordan was one of the first he informed," Smith wrote. It wasn't an instant fix, but it helped. The gravity of Magic's announcement forced perspective. And while Jordan never publicly reversed his stance on Thomas, his tone toward Magic softened in the years that followed. Their relationship would improve further in retirement. The two shared moments at All-Star Weekend events and charity games. They joked together, competed in interviews and eventually appeared to set aside the animosity. But even as the public glimpsed a friendlier version of the two legends, the past was never forgotten. The Dream Team decision still looms Much of the speculation about Jordan's involvement in Thomas being left off the 1992 Olympic Dream Team has faded into accepted history. For years, Jordan denied having anything to do with the decision. But between what has emerged in recent documentaries and reporting over time, that claim now rings hollow. "And though everyone denied it for years," Smith wrote, "it's now become widely-accepted that Jordan kept Thomas off that 1992 Dream Team, based on the NBA-TV documentary and Jack McCallum's fine book on the subject." Jordan has never flat-out admitted it, but the evidence speaks loudly. Multiple teammates from that team have suggested that Thomas wasn't welcome. Jack McCallum's reporting confirmed that Jordan made it clear he wouldn't play if Thomas was on the roster. And the NBA-TV special seemed to confirm what many suspected for years. Jordan and Magic are now mostly seen as friendly peers. Their careers paralleled each other during a golden era for the league, and their eventual reconciliation made for good headlines. But history shows it wasn't always that way. For Jordan, anything connected to Thomas — even one of the most beloved stars in NBA history — was a bridge too far. The rivalry between Jordan and Thomas never truly ended. It just stopped being played out on the story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
