Latest news with #JalenWilliams
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2 days ago
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Thunder's Jalen Williams issues shocking NBA Finals injury revelation
The post Thunder's Jalen Williams issues shocking NBA Finals injury revelation appeared first on ClutchPoints. After winning his first NBA Finals, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams revealed a right wrist injury that forced him to recreate his shot right before the postseason started. En route to his first NBA Finals appearance, Williams underwent a brutal pain management regimen that included 28-29 injections throughout the Thunder's championship run. Jalen discussed the moment he found out about his wrist injury. Williams discussed the moment he found out about a torn ligament in his right wrist, per The Young Man and The Three. 'He's like I tore it. So, immediately, the first thought is like, well, can I still play, or did I just ruin the season? It took, I'd say, a day and a half, and we kind of came up with a plan to talk to Dr. Chin, who did my surgery,' Williams said. 'He's like the GOAT at doing this exact surgery and stuff. He's like, 'You can play through it and get shots, and you can't do anything worse to it.' So, that gave me a lot of confidence to go out there and just figure out how to shoot through the pain.' From there, Williams worked through the pain while testing out his new shot. 'We tried to figure out different pain levels, different ways to shoot,' Williams added. 'I'm like teaching myself to shoot like a week before the playoffs. Our medical staff did a good job with that.' Williams shined in the postseason. He averaged 21.4 points at a 44.9% clip, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals throughout the playoffs — which was punctuated by a playoff career-high 40 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Williams' memorable performance in a critical matchup gave the Thunder a 3-2 lead against the Indiana Pacers before clinching the title in Game 7. Jalen Williams reveals brutal regimen amid Thunder playoffs Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams received lidocaine and cortisone shots to manage the pain in his right wrist. Amid the most critical stretch, en route to a championship, Williams did whatever it took to keep himself on the floor. 'I got 28 or 29 shots in my hand throughout the playoffs, and I just was like, that can't be for nothing. We have to win. That was my mentality,' Williams said. 'So, after the 40 [points], it kind of sucks, and I talked about it a little bit. I didn't even really get to enjoy it because I was just so focused on let's win the next game, or let's win.' It all paid off in the end. Related: Thunder's Jalen Williams drops truth bomb on 'annoying' Pacers' star during NBA Finals Related: Jalen Williams claps back at claims Thunder's championship parade was a bust
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Thunder star Jalen Williams roasted by fans for recreating Kobe Bryant injury photo
The post Thunder star Jalen Williams roasted by fans for recreating Kobe Bryant injury photo appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been busy over the last few weeks celebrating their recent NBA championship victory over the Indiana Pacers. A big part of that feat was the play of Jalen Williams, who powered through a wrist injury that has since required surgery and scored 40 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Williams is now recovering from surgery on the injury and recently posted a photo of himself shooting with his left hand, right next to an iconic photograph of the late Kobe Bryant in a similar pose. Fans on X, formerly Twitter, weren't thrilled with the Thunder star's attempt to recreate the famous photo. 'Take a pic for me bro i'm tryna do what kobe did,' mocked one fan, imagining how the picture came to be. Another posted a GIF of corn, implying that Williams is corny for making the post. Williams is far from the first NBA player to feel the wrath of Kobe Bryant fans after trying to recreate something that the Los Angeles Lakers legend did (just ask Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum). However, Bryant would likely be proud of the heart and grit Williams showed by working through his injured wrist this postseason and stepping up in some of the biggest moments during the Thunder's championship run. A busy summer for the Thunder Priority number one for the Thunder this offseason was locking up the core that helped them win a championship for the long term, and Oklahoma City did just that by signing Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lucrative contract extensions. While some fans worried that the league's newly implemented second apron rules might eventually catch up to the Thunder, Oklahoma City is slated to bring back virtually the entire core that just helped them win a championship for the 2025-26 season. There's still lots of room to grow for both Williams and Holmgren, and potentially even Gilgeous-Alexander, who is theoretically just now entering the prime years of his future Hall of Fame career. In any case, while he continues to recover, Williams may want to refrain from posting any more Kobe-like pictures to avoid further mockery on social media. Related: Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein sounds off on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 'ego' Related: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 10 greatest accolades, ranked
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Jalen Williams claps back at claims Thunder's championship parade was a bust
The post Jalen Williams claps back at claims Thunder's championship parade was a bust appeared first on ClutchPoints. Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams set the record straight about his team's championship parade after winning the NBA Finals. Williams delivered an emotional speech to Thunder fans that day and gave them a special shoutout once again during his recent interview. While discussing Oklahoma City's historic 2024-25 title run, Jalen addressed the narrative surrounding the number of people who attended the championship parade. After a social media trend suggested low attendance, Williams stressed that it simply wasn't the case during his latest appearance on The Young Man & The Three podcast. 'The parade, I don't know why everybody was doing the thing where I don't know why it was a trend to like say that there wasn't a ton of people out there, but it was actually overwhelming how many people were there,' Williams said. 'But I mean, I enjoyed it, Oklahoma enjoyed it.' While there were some gaps in the crowd throughout the parade route, most of the excited Thunder fans waited toward the end of the route to greet the team. Then, most gathered by the thousands for a celebration rally at Scissortail Park. 'This is their first one. Like we're trying to figure it out too. And the NBA, you don't really get a lot of time to actually set up a parade,' Williams added. 'We had to do our parade on a Tuesday because of the draft. 'So it was rushed in a way, and we still have 700,000 people over there. The grass that we're on, you can't even see the grass. We didn't even stay on the float; we ran the whole parade.' For context, Oklahoma City itself only has a population of around 700,000. Images of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander greeting the crowd with a trophy in hand mid-parade splashed all over social media. Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, and others also engaged with the fans before giving a bigger shoutout to all the fans during the rally that concluded the parade. Jalen Williams' emotional message to Thunder fans at rally After Jaylin Williams' quick speech riled up Thunder fans, Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams kept his message short and sweet. The support from Oklahoma City paid off as it celebrated the Thunder's first championship parade in franchise history. Williams made sure they didn't forget that. 'None of this is possible without you guys. You guys have been through the ups and downs of the Thunder organization,' Williams said. 'We appreciate you guys. We love you guys.' Williams and the Thunder will look to go back-to-back in the 2025-26 campaign. Related: Thunder's Jalen Williams drops truth bomb on 'annoying' Pacers' star during NBA Finals Related: Thunder's Jalen Williams issues shocking NBA Finals injury revelation
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Thunder players show off Larry O'Brien trophy in convertibles
The post Thunder players show off Larry O'Brien trophy in convertibles appeared first on ClutchPoints. After Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams clapped back at the championship parade claims of being a bust, the Thunder's Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe had their own parade in their droptop convertibles. From Fort Smith, Arkansas to NBA champions, the two childhood friends returned to their hometown to show off the Larry O'Brien trophy. It was a special moment for Williams and Joe. The two high school teammates at Northside High School in Fort Smith teamed up when Williams was selected 34th overall by the Thunder in 2022. After Isaiah Joe was selected 49th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020, the Thunder signed him as a free agent weeks after selecting Jaylin in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. The two childhood friends celebrated in their hometown, bringing the Larry O'Brien trophy with them, per Suave Report's Addam Francisco. Fittingly, the parade occurred over a week after Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt declared July 16 as Jaylin Williams Day and on the day of, July 24, Holt declared it to be Isaiah Joe Day in Oklahoma City. Now, July 24 is also celebrated as Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe Day in Fort Smith, which was made official during Thursday's 'Thunder in the Fort' parade. Jalen Williams claps back at false claims over Thunder parade Before signing their core three players to max deals, the Thunder inked Jaylin Williams to a three-year extension after celebrating with Oklahoma City amid a championship parade. Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams set the record straight. After claims that the parade was a bust, Williams said that couldn't have been further from the truth, he said, during a recent appearance on The Young Man & The Three podcast. 'The parade, I don't know why everybody was doing the thing where I don't know why it was a trend to like say that there wasn't a ton of people out there, but it was actually overwhelming how many people were there,' Williams said. 'But I mean, I enjoyed it, Oklahoma enjoyed it.' While there were some gaps in the crowd throughout the parade route, most of the excited Thunder fans waited toward the end of the route to greet the team. Then, most gathered by the thousands for a celebration rally at Scissortail Park. 'So it was rushed in a way, and we still have 700,000 people over there,' Williams added. 'The grass that we're on, you can't even see the grass. We didn't even stay on the float; we ran the whole parade.' Williams hopes the Thunder will get a chance for a do-over in 2026. Related: Thunder star Jalen Williams roasted by fans for recreating Kobe Bryant injury photo Related: Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein sounds off on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 'ego'
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Current 2025-26 OKC Thunder depth chart after offseason moves
Don't fix what's not broken. That's the Oklahoma City Thunder's unofficial offseason motto. After winning the NBA championship, they have the rare opportunity to bring back basically the same roster — minus some changes at the bottom of the depth chart. The Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season at the top of the food chain. The NBA champions will hope to be a rare repeat winner. They spent the offseason locking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to long-term deals. As the Thunder continue to enjoy their summer, they're only a few months away from defending their top spot. Let's project what OKC's depth chart will look like as it hopes to be a rare repeat winner: Point guard Starter: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Depth: Ajay Mitchell, Nikola Topic This is easy. Gilgeous-Alexander is the Thunder's franchise player. He had one of the greatest individual seasons ever. He brought home the MVP, Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP trophies. He also won the scoring title. The 27-year-old is one of the best players in the league. OKC's title window starts and stops with him. Meanwhile, the backup point guard minutes are up for grabs. Mitchell looks more ready to contribute than Topic right now, though. The former could have the lead thanks to his experience. But Topic's potential is tantalizing for sure. Shooting guard Starter: Lu Dort Depth: Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe One of the longest-tenured Thunder players, Dort is fresh off a career season. He was named to his first All-Defensive Team. He's one of the league's best one-on-one defenders. The undrafted player has also developed into a legitimate outside shooter. He's been a fixture in the starting lineup for years now. Behind him is the Thunder's deepest position group. Caruso and Wallace make up OKC's best seven players. Both played vital roles in their championship run last year. They'd easily be starters anywhere else, too. Caruso is one of the NBA's best defenders and has the merits to back it up. Wallace is ascending to that level and has been somebody they lean on to start when they go small. And then there's Joe. He's carved out a nice role on the Thunder. Even with an inconsistent playoff run, the sharpshooter has been solid depth for OKC over the years. He's a solid 3-point shooter who benefits from off-ball movement. Small forward Starter: Jalen Williams Depth: Aaron Wiggins, Ousmane Dieng Another easy choice. Williams ascended into one of the NBA's best players last season. He had a career year as a first-time All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense Team member. The 24-year-old is a walking efficient 20-plus points and an underrated defender. His trajectory should continue to rise after he stepped up as OKC's second-best player in the playoffs. Wiggins is a solid bench player. He's developed into one of the Thunder's best success stories. He can create off the dribble and be a spot-up guy. The microwave scorer can get into a groove. Dieng is still young enough to believe in his potential, but time is running out. Power forward Starter: Chet Holmgren Depth: Kenrich Williams, Brooks Barnhizer (two-way) Another easy choice. Injuries have limited Holmgren to playing only about half of his available games in his first three seasons. That said, he's easily the Thunder's best defender when he's on the floor. The 23-year-old has shown promise as a scorer over the years. But what he brings as a rim protector is worthy enough of the contract extension he signed this past summer. Another player who's been in OKC for a while, Williams has been a veteran for the Thunder. When he gets the chance to play, he shows why he's such a valuable piece on a team-friendly contract. He can defend and shoot from the outside. Center Starter: Isaiah Hartenstein Depth: Jaylin Williams, Thomas Sorber, Branden Carlson (two-way) As was said at the top — don't fix what's not broken. The Thunder have four permanent starters with a fifth spot up for grabs. Sometimes it's Hartenstein, other times it's somebody like Cason Wallace. But the Thunder stuck with the double-big lineup throughout the playoffs, sans a few NBA Finals games. It was the starting lineup that won them both of their Game 7s. It should be the same starting lineup to open next season. Williams is fresh off a new deal. He's developed nicely into an offensive weapon. He can space the floor and facilitate. Three triple-doubles last season prove that. Then there's Sorber. The 19-year-old won't be expected to do much in his rookie season. He'll be asked to be Hartenstein's eventual long-term replacement.
