Jalen Williams on the OKC Thunder Finals Run, His Wrist Injury, and Signing His Contract Extension

Jalen Williams on the OKC Thunder Finals Run, His Wrist Injury, and Signing His Contract Extension

When you hit the shot and the the go ahead one in game five, was that yelling at the Yeah, my wrist. Yeah, because it like to explain it like the lidocaine had worn off. I got my hand stepped on that game. Like I’ve never got my hand stepped on ever. I get my hand stepped on that game. So my hand is like burning the whole game. It’s like swollen. There’s like there’s probably video footage out there. Donnie is like trying to like kind of move my ligaments around in my hand to like get some range of motion back. So like I’m retaping at halftime. So like it was just a lot of like struggle going into that. So for that shot to go in was was big. [Music] [Music] Mr. Williams. A lot has happened since the last time you’ve Okay. been in front of these cameras. A lot happened in the last like 20 minutes. Yeah. A lot has happened lot has happened. So may maybe we start with that cuz I was going to say um dinner is going to be on you eventually. Maybe not next year. Maybe not right now, but eventually. So can you explain to the audience uh we’re taping this Sunday morning in an undisclosed Vegas hotel room. Can you explain what the last 25 minutes uh what’s what’s going down? I just this isn’t like I don’t have a cool story. I just signed my contract. So I mean that’s cool. Yeah, that’s cool. A lot of money. A lot of money. Just that. That’s cool. That’s cool. It actually went very smoothly. Like I got to wake up like 4 minutes before, walked downstairs, signed it, and came up here. This has been a really um jaw-dropping month, I would say, or month and a half for you. are you how are you sort of taking the time to kind of like 30,000 ft it like understand what’s happening um while you’re living through it? I haven’t even really got to do I haven’t stopped doing anything but I had hand surgery so that that’s what’s kind of slowed it down a little bit. Yeah. And then being in Vegas for summer league does not help do that. But it’s been cool. Like I just I feel like that’s part of the thing is like to be in that rush and not actually be able to like look on the outside end yet. But yeah, I think once once I leave Vegas and we’re going to the SBS eventually once that’s over, I’ll be I’ll be straight. I’ll be able to like take it in. In Arizona, I feel like everything slows down a little bit. Yeah. Like I I’m out of the way in Arizona, so like I can actually chill and like do my thing. So, you did a couple days ago, you put out um an amazing video in your YouTube channel sort of breaking down everything with the wrist injury. I want to sort of go back to April 9th with that. I still can’t figure out how to pronounce the what that ligament is. The scaffa scafalonate scaff is that how you say it? Scaffolon. So, April 9th, you figure out that this has happened. What is your uh what’s your immediate thought once you sort of learned the news? Well, you know what’s funny is like when we get MRIs, for everybody that doesn’t know, usually like when it’s when something’s good, the MRI like we get our results the same time every time. But when something’s good, they tell you really quick. I went like four or five hours without hearing back from anybody. So, I was like, I don’t think this is like as good as we think it is. And so Donnie finally called me who does like our the head of our sportsman stuff. He was like, “I tore it.” So immediately the first thought is like, “Well, can I still play or did I just like ruin the season?” And it took like basically like I would say like about a day and a half and we kind of came up with a plan to like talk to Dr. Shen who did my surgery and he’s like the goat at doing this exact surgery and stuff. He was like you can play through it and get shots and you know you can’t do anything worse to it. So that gave me a lot of confidence to kind of go out there and like just figure out how to shoot through the pain and credit to our medical staff Toby who was working me every day. She was able to like do different tape and you know what I mean like experiment the whole entire time and we just kind of like try to figure out different pain levels, different ways to like shoot. I’m like teaching myself how to shoot like a week before the playoffs and do that whole thing. So our our our medical staff did a good job with that and the shots. Was there any period right after you got you guys got the news where there was a world where you were going to have to shut it down or was it kind of like everybody was just like everybody was like once we once we talked to Dr. Shin it was more just like how do we manage pain? Yeah cuz I was like I want to be able to like play and and not do that. Um, do you do you think the I thought it was incredible how you guys kept it a secret and there was a world for like a long time because no one keeps secrets anymore, especially like in this world where there’s, you know, cameras everywhere. Cameras everywhere, people leaking stuff every whatever it is. Do you think the primary reason um to keep it a secret was because guys were going to bang it? Um, yeah, a little bit. I think that’s a big one. I think also just I don’t know. I just didn’t really want the like a lot of the stuff to like drift focus away from like winning and like it be like the narrative of like oh he’s playing hurt the whole time. Like I rather just went out there and like not focused on it. I didn’t want to answer questions about it every single game or like have an excuse. So we like we just kept it under wraps and we we did a really good job. That Thunder Organization is very good at that. organization. Might be the best at sports at that, I would say. Yeah, cuz I’ve I’ve had like people that are in the media, they’re like, “How did you keep that a secret? Is that why you had the tape on?” And like I had had like a wrist injury prior, which helped a little bit. So, I had the tape on. So, I was able to like pass it on as I was like, “It’s something I’ve had like all year. It’s not affecting anything.” And that kind of like kept everybody at bay. Well, I thought one of the really um cool things you guys did with the video, shout out to Jojo as well, was breaking down the specifics of what actually everything from the injury itself to actually changing the shot and what went into it. Because to your point, like a lot of guys are banged up in the playoffs. Like there’s a thing where you could have just had a you know, you could have had a sprained wrist, you could have had something with the wrist that was an issue, but it wasn’t. when you actually understand what happened, it’s a much different conversation. Yeah. I seen on Instagram uh like a doctor or something like posted like what was actually going on, which helped a little bit cuz I Yeah, like you said, like people don’t really like really get it, which is fine, but like the lidocaine shots that I’m getting like I can’t tell if my jumper short or long like cuz it like numbs your hands. So it’s like it works in that regard of like all right now I can shoot a little bit but like my range of motion in my wrist is pretty much like gone. Yeah, I’m like losing it the more we go on in the series. My hand is swelling up. So, like there’s just a lot of like little stuff that goes into it. You’re playing every other day. So, like it’s hard to get like cortisone injections because, you know, you need that you need another day to like really let the pain kind of settle out and all the swelling. So, you like there’s just a lot of like intangibles that go into like actually changing my jump shot, like shooting on my fingertips, like all that was like new. So, in in retrospect, and I’m sure this answer sort of fluctuated by the day, what do you think was more challenging through this process, the physical side of it or the mental side of it? I would say the mental. It got the physical got to a point where I was like pretty comfortable with like going into like what it was going to feel like. And like when I initially tore it, that was the worst it had felt up until probably like game four of the Denver series. So, I knew how bad it could get and it wasn’t going to get any worse. It was just more like the mental part of like knowing every game I got to get a shot regardless of what happened last game and like just like having like the mental fortitude to like okay well after this game I might have to get another one to like calm it down. Like that was the more challenging part. I I would also just imagine I mean anyone in anyone in your position any NBA player any professional athlete it’s you’re so you know you’re used to repetition used to habit you’re used to feel used to all these things and it it provides a level of confidence to do what you do and then when you change that it’s like anything it’s like changing a golf swing right before the masters like even if it works even if it works you’re still kind of like the second it’s off you’re like you’re out of whack in a way that you’ve basically been training it’s like out of my control. Yeah, like some of like when you miss sometimes it’s like just like I said like my wrist is not the same. So like I you lose like I lost a little bit of control with some shots that are easier for me and it’s like kind of frustrating cuz it’s like I didn’t want to shoot it that way but that’s just what like my body is like going through going getting to the Memphis series. Um was was game four Caruso the first time you got to see a different side of him with the with that comeback? Yeah, he he got more competitive. Definitely a we Oh, we we should acknowledge we want him to be here, but he’s somewhere in Tahoe. He’s doing Yeah, he’s drinking. He’s drinking. I think I texted him. He was doing like his uh what do you call a man getaway before like you get married or whatever. Yeah, he’s been on he’s been on a bender for like 10 days. Yeah, I seen him and he he shaved a beard. Everything except the mustache. Head nice his head is bald. Like he’s just just just a little mustache. So that’s what that’s what he’s he’s on right now. But um yeah, there was a different side of AC going into that which was cool to see. Obviously he had won a ring prior to that. So it felt like I mean I remember that game one of that series you guys just you came out and blitzed them a little bit but it it felt like that’s a good team. you know, Jaw getting hurt was was a, you know, was a bummer for them, but it felt like that was we talked all year about the difference in this group from last from last year in terms of experience and then obviously additions and everything like that. And it felt like that series was a like sweeping anyone in the West. Yeah. Is hard no matter who it is. Or not, it still is a Yeah. Going into the Denver series, what were your guys knowing, you know, it’s a team with championship pedigree, what were your guys thoughts? make it out of the second round. That was the biggest thing was like that was our test like going into the final. I’m not gonna say like we thought, oh, we can win it if we get past Denver. It’s just more like let’s get over the hurdle that we that we were challenged with last year to like show that we got better. So, a lot of that was like proving oursel and it was like Denver is like like you said, they won a chip. They have the same group. They know how to win. They’ve been to farther than we have. So they have that that experience. But I think that’s what the regular season’s for, too. Like us having the cushion we did, having homecourt advantage, like that played into that series, it played into the Indiana series. So that’s how we went into it. Did you We We talked all year. I mean, people have talked a lot at this point about like youngest team, blah, blah, blah. You know, the experience questions, everything. I was thinking about after that that game one of that Denver series with their that Gordon shot, the comeback. It’s like a It’s a gut punch, you know? That’s a p That’s a punch. That’s a punch. That’s doing it at home. Everyone starts chattering. Everyone starts being like, “Oh yeah, the you know, the the playoffs have arrived.” Did you notice anything different um at that point about the locker room about just like the sort of resiliency, you know, maybe even compared to last year? I think last year that would have devastated us. this year was just like once you’ve been through the playoffs one time, I think it just makes like it just make it forces you to be a different person. Like there’s so many like emotional swings and ups and downs of the playoffs that like it really didn’t phase us too much. Yeah. We understood that we gave a game away and then it was like, okay, now we got to win this next game and then we got to go get two over there. Like that that was our mindset, but a lot of it was just like, all right, like the game’s over regardless of what happened. like he had a game winner. That really sucked. Just looking back at it, I could barely watch that game knowing the outcome of the series. Like it sucked, but it was like you can’t feel sorry for yourself and lock back in. Well, that was a crazy that was a crazy night because that was the the Knicks came back on Boston the same night, which was nuts. And everybody was every sort of like broad NBA fan was already kind of writing everybody off. Yeah. Yeah. When they were just like, “Okay, this is crazy today.” And then you guys are up and people like kind of stop watching. They’re just like, “Yeah, they got it.” And then they cut and then he’s Gordon was on a heater the whole playoffs. Yeah. Um and that happens and it started But I’m also, you know, also kind of curious like you you guys all sort of shut it down during the playoffs in terms of reading too much or, you know, paying attention to too much of the narratives and that, but it is human nature to sort of like get in your we were talking before about the physical side of things to get in your own head about things like this. Do you really just do you sort of think about like this is just you’ve already lived through this so this is now a thing that you just you were sort of used to? No, you can’t get used to it. I can’t lie. Like it it sucks. The way we were losing too was like heartbreaking fashion. Like the Tyrese shot, the Gordon shot. You know what I mean? Like we’re good to that one. Like we gave away games. It’s like it wasn’t even like obviously we got beat like regardless but like it felt like some games we just like gave them away and you go like sit down and you’re like replaying the game in your head and it’s like man we blew that one. It’s not like they’re just beating us by 20. It’s like we just did not play well down the stretch. So one one shot to this point where you guys won that I wanted to bring up was the uh the game five in the Denver series with your with your go-ahead three. The shot before that was Jokic tied the game with that with that crazy three. And that felt like it was one of those things where you were like if you don’t hit yours might that’s a moment because that’s a fluky thing that when that happens it’s it’s like it’s a little bit like if you don’t nip it in the bud they know it gets out. Yeah. It gets out of but what’s crazy is like game five felt like game one like we go up eight and then like they kick in shots like that to tie the game back up. So now it’s like we’re going in the thing like we got to we got to score down here. It’s sometimes in a in a championship run, you know, these sort of like little moments um get get forgotten after the fact. But I think about like we talked all year about the roll guys about, you know, Wiggins, Case and guys like that just stepping up at different points. Think about game four, you guys are down 2-1 at Yeah, we got to walk them down. Yeah. But that but that’s the but that was a little bit I feel like as much as you know you Chad and Chay sort of had your impact on this entire run. It was like that was those guys that was their game. Yeah Wigs played really well too. Queso um obviously AC was AC was consistent the whole time. Same thing with Lou but like yeah Wigs had a great game. he shot us back in the game, you know, and it’s it’s guys like that that win you championships and like those games kind of go unnoticed cuz everybody’s going to remember like all the game sevens and that. But they’re just the more that I like see the highlights, I’m like, man, these are like some like like in just grand scheme like there’s some like huge shots. Wigs I think hit two threes in a row to bring us back. And then Lou had the three Yeah, Lou had three. We were going to probably lose that game if he doesn’t make that make those shots. So like we have a ton of big shot makers. queso in the Minnesota series like he made a ton of big shots like just throughout that run like those are the guys that you need to like step up and play well and they did that. When you hit the shot and the the go ahead one in game five were you yelling was that yelling at the Yeah, my wrist. Yeah, cuz it like to explain it like the lidocaine had worn off. I got my hand stepped on that game. Like I’ve never got my hand stepped on ever. I get my hand stepped on that game. So my hand is like burning the whole game. It’s like swollen. There’s like there’s probably video footage out there. Donnie is like trying to like kind of move my ligaments around in my hand to like get some range of motion back. So like I’m retaping at halftime. So like it was just a lot of like struggle going into that. So for that shot to go in was was big. What was your feeling watching Alex in game seven with uh Joic? It was impressive. It wasn’t anything out of the norm for him. You don’t think so? Nah, it’s just Jokic so it gets like he’s just so big. That’s the thing. It’s like him doing that to almost anybody else. It’s this guy’s made multiple all defense teams. Like you’re not going to be surprised. It’s just it’s just the physical doesn’t surprise me. Like the stuff that we’re like going into and like how he approaches it like like for him to have success that night on Jokic like it doesn’t it doesn’t shock me. And then it honestly like the way he was playing like helped us in a way cuz it’s like now we can kind of like be way more aggressive cuz like Jokic just having to fight for every catch and like really work hard. hard. So, it’s like now I can really help AC and he just did a good job on him. So, like it doesn’t shock me like the things we do defensively like with our team and the talent we have defensively doesn’t like shock me. It’s more like the outside world that’s not with them every day is like the shocker. What do you think in the Minnesota, you know, has played you guys well? They put you well all year. Um, you guys were great the whole series. What do you think went so right? Uh, well, we shot the ball well. Denver series, we we were up and down. Yeah, I think the the after the Denver series, we just had like a good like reset to be honest. Like that series was so emotional. Like we were able to kind of back away from it a little bit and like treat that one we did a really good job of treating that one completely new and it was just a completely different style of like basketball that kind of fit something that we wanted to play. Like you know Denver slows it down a lot like they’re playing through Jokic. You don’t really know what to expect with them either. there’s going to be him and Jamal to pick and roll and it’s kind of like from a help side perspective like you’re you’re kind of just on edge like waiting for them to make decisions to react to and Minnesota is just obviously like a different different play style like they want to get up and down they want to have space and that fit what we were trying to do too. It is an impressive level of resilience though because there is obviously such a historically in sports there’s a comedown effect. you have a thing that’s that emotional when you have a game seven. Um there’s a there’s a little and you and you’re also like you’re going to these things. I think you guys had a day off or something like that. You’re going in right you’re going in right away. I think that was the best thing for us. Like we didn’t have a break either. Like we had a rhythm. We had a rhythm of like playing. That was the hardest part about like I feel like going into the Denver series 2 was like just having that kind of long break. Like it breaks your rhythm in the playoffs cuz you’re playing every other day. you have that schedule and then you take seven days off or you take six days off and it’s kind of like you don’t ever do that during the season. And so the fact that we had that in Minnesota where it’s like all right we just finished the series. It is an interesting that’s an interesting thing I think with sports. I mean they always say that with baseball with like the baseball playoffs. So like wild card teams always go on that run because they basically just play. Yeah. You just don’t have any time to think about it. You just go even March Madness. I mean maybe you’re not going to win the championship but like bubble teams will just get hot because they’re in a rhythm. They’re playing more games than you know where whereas you’re just waiting and practicing against each other and you don’t usually have that during the year. So it’s like out of the normal to like sit there and not play. Yeah. Were you following were you guys able to follow anything that was happening in the East or were you kind of just like we just got to deal? I honestly did not watch any games. I was like looking at box scores. Yeah. And I like obviously you see a couple things. I seen it was hard not to see Indiana but I was really off social media like Yeah. social media was Friday. the Indiana the Indiana stuff was just uh we’ll get to it just it just it was it defied um like the laws of gravity. It just the stuff that bro we were like when we were watching I like I said I was watching box score so I’m like kind of like the same thing with that Denver game one like oh okay they’re going to win and next thing I know I’m like why is it in overtime they’re just up 10 with like a minute and then that whole thing. So yeah shout out to Indiana they were the Knicks the Knicks game one was the craziest one insane. Yeah, cuz the cuz they were they the Knicks played well. That was what was I kind of felt bad for and the Cavs I guess the one before I mean it was a little bit like and we’ll get to your guys to the to the finals, but in with the exception of the Milwaukee comeback the the the Cavs and the Knicks kept making shots. The Pacers just they would like it was like there was a it was like an out-of- body experience. They were they were hitting threes every time now. Yeah. It wasn’t like it wasn’t like they were getting layups like in like 40 seconds where it’s like all of a sudden you wake up and you’re like somehow you’re down. Yeah. The rate they were hitting threes was like you can’t not score on the other end otherwise it’s like you’re going to give up like going to start losing like 9 to2 on these runs. Um when you guys know you’re playing them in the finals. I went to the game I saw you before I went to the game when you guys played them during the regular season. Okay, so you beat them pretty good, but they played you really tough in Indie, and they were like, I think second or third best team in the NBA since January 1st ahead of time, so you’re not going to be surprised by anything that’s happening. What was your sort of thought process going in knowing how they play and knowing that speed and pace? It was a little different because of the run that they were on to get to that point, which is hilarious thinking back cuz the one thing we were talking about was like, “All right, if we’re up by a certain amount, don’t let them get back in the game.” That’s where they’re comfortable. They’re comfortable down like that cuz that’s just what they’ve been accustomed to. And then obviously we lose the way we do which was kind of like it sucked in the moment but also when we went to watch film like we did a good job of like being able to I wouldn’t say like laugh at ourselves but it was kind of like well all right well we know what to do now cuz like we just said let’s not do that and that’s what happened. So um you look at like game two kind of the same thing. We just didn’t play as tentative and then we were able to like keep the lead at bay. But going into it like we knew they were a good team. I don’t think the world was really sold on it and like you said like if you follow along with the NBA season pretty good like they they were good throughout the whole year. Did you see I think that you know they they may say this now they may take them time to kind of this I feel like the the Shay Nemhard and Lou Ben the Canadian dynamic made it more interesting in a way because it was almost like everything just got the finals didn’t matter. It was like it was like going back to growing up and everything like grassroots kind of like competitive like AU competitive. Yeah. I I thought it was good. Any narrative with the NBA in the finals is going to be good whether it’s like you know them competing against each other or like some type of like brothers playing against each other. It was good for like the series and like they were going at each other too the whole time. you were I mean you were we’ll get to game five but you were awesome all series and especially I think like in those in three and four in Indie they were relying on you specifically so much to kind of do everything. Um but game four Shay at the end where it looked like he was like he looked gassed it kind of like you don’t know and then all of a sudden you’re like yeah that’s the MVP. Yeah, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It was like we were in the huddle and I was like game four I had a really good game and so just like down the stretch I was scoring and then I think that helped him get like his win back a little bit cuz he didn’t have to like break and get a catch or bring the ball up the whole time and getounded. So like the fact that I was scoring we were moving the scoreboard and getting stops I think helped him catch his second win. And then I think he got there was a moment I knew we were going to win the game when he hit I threw him a pass on the wing and he finally hit a three and I was like, “Yeah, I think I think we’re going to get it.” Cuz then he went on a scoring run after that. He finally got an easy one, like a easy three and then I think that that kind of like charged up his rhythm and then he he was special after that. So 40 ball game five. Have you reflected on just that the significance of that in a in a in a not a deciding game five, but it’s like a two- two. This is a this is a make or break. This is the biggest game of your life. Yeah. I didn’t I don’t really think too much about like the 40. It’s just more like how important that game like game fives are so important especially when you’re tied because it it really determines the series and like for us that keeps our home court advantage because it’s like if not if we lose that we have to win two in a row and like we have we have a must win on the road when they close out with that crazy with those crazy fans. Yeah. And then obviously the opposite of that is they have to do that with us. So it’s like we’ll take our chances doing that. So the game five like I didn’t even really notice the amount of points I had till after cuz I was just such in like a state of like let’s win the game. And how is your how is your wrist at this point? Like like are you is this has it been long enough that you’ve now become like this is just like my Yeah. Like I understood that like my jump shot’s not going to be what I want it to be but like I was able to manage the thing. I actually like if you really look at it I was able to like get a lot of easy ones like running, you know, cutting like some easy ones. So like that helped me get a rhythm. I had mastered my free throws. I don’t even think I missed a free throw that. So like I was like if I get to the line, I need these points. So I was shooting a ton of free throws while I was out and then that that propelled me. So when I needed like a couple extra shots, like when I kicked those in, it just added to it. Well, I am also um I’m I’m curious, you know, we’ve talked sort of all year about like about you know J fiveman Jaylen and just like the and this is what your game is of being able to do everything and be flexible and not be someone who’s like if one thing isn’t working you’re not going to be able to be effective. But it did feel like it felt like in the finals that was that was a thing that like of all the things that you guys did well, they didn’t have any there’s the way that team is built, you present a unique challenge for them. And so that was a thing where where your your sort of like the flexibility and size and physicality became a thing where it’s like you don’t have to shoot. Yeah, you can just you can just kind of uh you can kind of uh dominate the floor just by, you know, mixing and matching every time down. Yeah. I mean, they they presented their what was cool is like we’re both low-key the same, but like drastically different cuz like we both want to play fast and open space, but the way we do it is a lot different. Ours comes from like defensively like being able to get stops and run out. And theirs is like no matter what happens, we’re going to throw the ball ahead and we’re going to run and we’re going to like create action and like even if they get a mismatch like the NBA, you know, usually kind of isolate they play with the mismatches which is so smart. And I was I hate to bring up another pod, but like if you watch like the Braun one when they were talking about the finals, like Tyrese will get like a fiveman and instead of just going at the fiveman every time, it’s like now the fiveman’s in a pick and roll and he’s never actually guarding the ball. Like that’s how they want to play. So, and we’re kind of like that in a way, we just get to it differently. So, that was it was cool to play them cuz it was like we’re trying to do the same thing, but it’s so different and like how we get it done. Did you feel like you knew that about them before you actually had to play them in a seven game series? Yeah, that’s why we weren’t like shocked like the rest of the world was that we were there cuz like that brand of basketball wins games like they trust each other to make another play. And that’s hard to that’s hard to beat over the course of seven games. And that feels I’m on on a broad level if you’re if you’re not a part of a championship team, if you’re not a part of a team that you know, knock on wood’s going to be in the situation a lot moving forward when you’re building a team now. If you’re Sam, if you’re like I’m like what is your what is your lesson from you guys and from them in terms of the team you’re going to put together? Training camp is very important as far as like putting your principles together and the people that are the people that are on the team like who you’re drafting, who you’re trading for. Like I think the person has a lot more to do with that than skill level and talent. cuz like when you’re willing to like play for each other and do that like you see over there too they have the same type of camaraderie like they get excited for each other you look at Tyrese like he’s a really cool dude like that like that’s very infectious and for both teams like you you see it in how you play like making one mors without thinking about it running the lane making sure each other’s open helping each other up when they fall like all that little stuff really adds up over time and when you do that over the course of the season like everybody ends up with one goal like you look at their media interviews they’re all in sync and then you look at our interviews, it’s like we’re all saying the exact same thing. So, it’s like over the course of time, you just like get battle tested with each other and that that’s how you become a special team. I think I think also and you’re uh where you’re really right with their particular group is they’ve been they’ve been sort of in the last couple years the place that like look at a guy like Obie like Obie had a tough run in New York. Yeah. um he had sort of all these expectations didn’t really work out and he was able to find his role there and be so good for them and so effective for them in part because you know you know Rick and the coaching staff there is really good but also they really know their roles like everyone knows he knows ex he knows their rotations are so defined he knows exactly what he’s doing when he’s coming in there’s no question of like oh like Obie wants to come in and just like jack shots jack it’s like everyone is operating within the what they’re good at everybody does what they’re good at and like brings something brings what they’re supposed to do to the table on the team and not play outside of that. What was your uh what was your experience with TJ dude’s so annoying special player though. Uh he’s cool. He’s been cool. What’s cool is like looking back at it and even like I was able to like kind of share a couple moments with him like during the game is like he was really cool to me when I got drafted. So we’ve like always kind of like kept in touch and like every time we play cool. Was there any Arizona connection or not really? No, I mean he played there um obviously and like I’m from there so he like knows the areas. I think he knows a little bit about the WCC too, but he’s he’s just a good dude. Like obviously you’ve been around TJ like him and AC I think are cool too. Like he he’s a special player, but he was he was very annoying during that series. There was a part of me, I hate to say it sitting with you, but there was a part of me that was like when when Tai got hurt in the second half, I’m like, is TJ going to win this game? And it’s going to think the same thing. It’s going to be like a Disney movie. Yeah. He was like run he like ran off a run and we were like going in the huddle. were like, “Bro,” like, but um yeah, he he was annoying during that series and annoying obviously is a good thing just on the other end of that. But yeah, he played his butt off during the series and um what was the what was the emotion of game seven for like for you sort of like overall I saw you after the game obviously you’re you know happy but just like the you know the morning morning leading up to it halftime everything like that where it’s like you can’t say this is another game. No, you can’t. It’s the last game. That’s what we were saying in the thing. So, it’s just like I think the most important thing is like the night before, the day before, like what you do in that period. So, I try not to do anything different than what I do for any other game. And I kept my routine very normal. And then from there, it was just like I’d already been in the mindset of like it’s the last one, so just leave it all out there. Mark did a good job just kind of letting us rock, too. Like, we basically had the same rotations. We just did what we do. Like you don’t ever want to. We were going to live and die by like how we play and just go from there. And I think we did a good job of that. Me, I ate kind of like the same meal, same time. Got to the arena same time, same prep, same songs I listened to before the game and go out and treat it like another game knowing that it’s the last one regardless. What was uh what was the funniest moment in the 72 hours after? Most entertaining moment. Um I mean there’s a lot. I mean, I walked out with a bag of popcorn. First drink. Yeah, first drink. Uh, I think for us, everybody saw it. Like us not knowing what to do with the with the champagne was pretty funny. Um, I think Yeah, I’ll always remember that. Like us taking pictures in the trophy room. Us sitting in the like where they take you in the back. There’s like no AC. So like I have this Letterman jacket on. I’m like dying like trying to get these pictures with the fans. Say that’s the classic. You’re doing it for the fit, not for the practicality. I was hot. Like the AC was done in Paycom. Like that that was funny. But I think the champagne will stick out cuz I had no idea what I was doing. My hand was like I couldn’t even really hold the bottle anymore. Like I’m carrying the trophy around with my hands like swollen. Like all that was fun. The parade uh Wiggins in particular, but I feel like you guys did it right. Great speech. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. the the parade. I don’t know why everybody was doing like the thing on I don’t know why it was a trend to like say that there wasn’t a ton of people out there, but yeah, it was it was actually overwhelming how many people there were. But I mean, I enjoyed it. Oklahoma enjoyed it. So, my takeaway from being at the beginning of game seven, I don’t know that I’ve been in a louder arena than before the game. And I feel like I mean, the takeaway is whatever. It’s like people say whatever they want online, but I feel like the really cool thing about your guys story is it’s like this team is growing with the fan base. Yeah. This is their first one. Like we’re trying to figure it out, too. And the NBA like you don’t really get a lot of time to like actually set up a parade. We had to do our parade on Tuesday because of the draft. So it’s like it was rushed in a way and we still had 700,000 people over there. The the grass that we’re on, you can’t even see the grass like Yeah. It was We got to run the whole parade. We didn’t even stay on the float. Like we ran the whole parade. It’s a thing I like about I mean not to, you know, compare them because like I love Laker fans, but like fans like they’re like spoiled. You know what I mean? It’s like it’s like you win and then 6 months later it’s like well if we’re not winning again then we got to fire a bunch of people. We got to get a new team in. It’s like it’s like I feel like the Thunder fans appreciate it. this is a thing that they are this is a and I feel like that culture has been a thing you guys have built up for the last couple years and to have it kind of like crescendo in this way is real it’s almost like everyone needs a ring you know yeah I wish like you could just give every fan a ring and just do that like maybe they’ll do like replicas or something but like yeah I I just going back to parade like I really enjoyed the parade like we got to like really it was very fitting what we did for parade like the way the fan base is with us like we were able to like go out there and like lean on the gate and like you know high five people like they’re out and it was like 105 degrees so it’s like we’re running the parade. Chad got his shirt off with Don Julio in his hand. Lud don’t got a shirt on with his flag. Like I I thought it was really cool like everybody got to see Shay in a different light. Like you know usually see him so serious. Like for him to like be able to like I wouldn’t say come out of a shell but like for everybody to see how he is around us was really cool. So yeah, it was fun. And I don’t think any other team’s ever ran the whole entire parade. No. You know what I mean? Usually stay on the float. No, catching the gear. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I didn’t know he could do that. Thought for sure he would drop it. Everyone just showing off the skills. Yeah. Everybody Yeah. Everybody was doing something they’ve never done before. So, it was fun. I I had a I had a very fun time at the parade. What um what do you think your biggest uh like basketball and emotional lesson has been in the last like two and a half months? I probably have two. Like the media thing for me is like they’re going to love you one day, they’re going to hate you the next day and that cycle is going to continue so they can get people to watch and people don’t actually watch. They just listen to what people are saying. So it’s like so that that helped me a lot cuz then it was like I have a bad game. It’s like like I’m actually the only one experiencing what’s going on. So it’s like that was a big one for And then too, it was just like just keep the main thing the main thing. Like there’s going to be ups and downs during the series, but like whatever work you put in during the summer is going to show up when you need it. And I was pretty confident in a lot of the stuff that I had done leading up to it. What are you watching? Not even just with you guys. I mean, we were talking about Cody before. He’s like awesome. What are you watching for this summer? Like what are you You need to You’re going to take a break. Like you got to turn off a little bit because you’re you know, you just have to. But like what is your what are you sort of excited to see basketball-wise overall? I always like watching the landscape of the NBA change drastically like with the trades and stuff. Yeah. I think it’s fun. It makes me feel like I’m in the NBA cuz it’s like before I always try and keep perspective on like when I was younger what it felt like and now that I get to be in it, I always try and have like that same energy towards it. So I always look forward to like who’s getting traded, who’s doing what and like understanding the landscape of the NBA. So like the trade I don’t know if it’s like the deadline but like the trades throughout that were really cool and then I don’t know I try and just watch like Cody playing in summer league like I try and like really enjoy that. What which moves were you not even like you like like them but you just were were like impressed by interested by I mean we had our first seven team trade like that’s probably the most interesting one. It was also like it kept it’s like they announced it and then it just kept growing. It just went from being like okay he’s going to then all of a sudden it’s like all these different things People are going everywhere. Like there’s a bunch of buyouts happening. Um I was a little shocked by the Desmond Bane trade. I think he was too. Yeah, I think. Um but yeah, I mean that’s the NBA. Like they’re going to be good though. Orlando’s going to be good. Yes. I think that was a good good trade. It’s it’s it’s we’ve talked about this before, but the West is just it, bro. It’s not It’s not right. Oh, Atlanta Atlanta got way better. Yeah, I think um I think Jaylen Johnson was hurt at some point last year. He was hurt. He got hurt in like February. Yeah, cuz he was playing great. He was playing really, but he’s he’s going to be an X factor for them cuz he’s really good. And Dyson Dyson’s only going to get better. Dyson. Yeah, Dyson. Yeah, like they’re young, too. Obviously Trey Young at the helm. They got they got Nikquille. I think Nquille getting him was a great piece. So, I think they’re going to be good. Like the Celtics like what what’s happening with them. Like obviously now we’re getting involved in that because everybody’s talking about like how they won and then how they had to split up and something about an apron like there’s a bunch of stuff going on with So, we did a we did an EP yesterday with CJ and he just stopped being the PA or whatever and like we were just talking I mean I’m curious like now your perspective on it cuz people have been saying this people have been bringing this up with you guys about how like you basically have too many good players and so I’m like when you’re in the middle of it, do you even is this a little bit like you you can think about the big picture like this or you’re just like I got to I got to play. I got to do what I can do. Like Sam’s clearly good at his job. like let Sam do his job. Let Sam do his job. I have never tried to sign a player or trade a player. And Sam has never played in the NBA. So, we we have a good understanding of I’m going to do me and he’s going to do him. And he’s good at like open dialogue, too. Like, we have a very good relationship as far as like talking and like what’s expected and what he thinks. And so, we have a good dynamic. So, I’m never worried about what is going on in the front office. Yeah. And you really can’t like the NBA is very unpredictable and if you do, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. I think the dialogue thing is I mean it’s it’s so important in any job like you know when Cam just got traded to Denver and it was like a good pick up. Yeah, you could pick up but like he wasn’t surprised. They’ve been telling him they’ve been telling him the whole time like it’s it could be here it could be here and so what ends up happening like there’s no there’s you’re not going to have ill will when you have a sense of it coming. I just think it’s the when people are being like dishonest or sort of like duplicitous that’s where you run into problems and Yeah. And that happens a lot. Yeah. Um before we wrap we have to do a couple movie things. Okay, let’s rock. Uh, who do you think should be James Bond? Oh, uh, Adris Elba. Idris, I think, right? Idris Elba. Yeah. Yeah. Do you think that the I I I was in London last week and Didn’t they pick somebody? No. So, it’s a new I thought they got somebody. No, there’s new They were going to pick this guy. Uh, Aaron Taylor Johnson was sort of like the front runner for it. But then the family that there’s a family, the broccoli family that owns Bond, they sold it to Amazon for like a billion dollars. So, there’s new producers on it now and so the new producers have to pick a new person. I feel bad for this guy because now he’s now he’s out. But the my question is does Bond have to be um a certain age? Is it like cuz some of the people they were talking about was like Tom Holland um like younger people like younger like younger actors. Tom Holland I don’t know if he can be Bond. He’s Spider-Man so that’s too he’s actually in too big of a role. It’s like Robert Downey Jr. really can’t be anything else. Yeah. Uh like with outside of Marvel, I don’t want to say it like he’s a very good actor. Um but it’s just like when you’re in that big of a role, I think when you take on too many like huge roles like confusing Spider-Man. I think Idris Ela would be a good one. What do you think about Did you see the F1 movie? I did. Yeah. Yeah. What do you think about Damson? I think he’s another good one. He’d be lowkey really good. Yeah, I think he’d be really good. Um yeah, he doesn’t have like a movie to like ruin that. I feel like Yeah. And he’s and he’s young enough that he can like grow into it like he can do it over. Yeah. He can be he can do it for a long time. He can do it for like 15 years. Yeah. Um that’s a good one. I like that one. What have you watched recently that that people should watch? I mean F1. I liked it. I’m trying to go see uh Superman. I’m getting like mixed reviews on that one which means it’s probably good. Yeah. Uh have you watched Mobland? I just started. Uh who told me to watch it? I might have told you to watch it. It’s honestly You definitely do. It’s honestly It’s Tom Tom Hardy is like He’s such a good actor. Yeah, he’s good. Um I just started. I think I’m on episode two. What is your What’s your most underrated TV performance? Most underrated TV performance. Hey, you know what? It lowkey might be him again in Pey Blinders. Cuz um who’s the main? I always Yes. He’s so good in that one that like it kind of takes away from everybody else and how good they are. But I think he honestly is really good in Pey Blinders. That’s a funny show. That’s a funny show now looking at the cast like after Oppenheimer cuz like when that show came out those guys were not they were not in the same level as they are now and so it was a little bit like Yeah. Um another good one I think uh I don’t know the actor’s actual name but Leon and Snowfall. Oh yeah. Underrated. Yeah. Snowfall in general. Snowfall in general is underrated. Yeah, that’s that’s probably my favorite show ever. Is there a thing is there a movie show you’re planning on? I will say preface this on this show. We’re going to be doing some movie stuff later on, which we’re in the process of planning right now. Is there a thing you want to watch this summer that you want to get into? You haven’t started yet? Like a show or just a movie? Anything? I’m trying to think what’s coming out. There’s one more big movie out. Oh, um, what’s the one with Leo that’s coming out? Leonard Caprio. PTA movie in September is going to be big. I really want to see that one. That’s going to be big. Spike. Spike. And Spike’s having another movie, too. Yeah. Is that coming out this year or next year? Yeah, it’s coming out in August. Oh, I didn’t know that. Yeah, it’s it’s ASAP Rocky. ASAP Rocky’s in it. Yeah. Yeah. It’s Rocky, Denzel, Jeffrey Wright, and uh Yeah, I’m excited for those. And you should watch the that that’s based on a Japanese movie called uh this one’s called High and Low. And the original one was called uh something similar. It was like High Low in Japanese Rivers, but it’s like crazy. Jaylen, we will be seeing you more this summer. Yeah. Congrats. More episodes. Congrats on the Congrats on the This is the first one since the ring, huh? Yep. Congrats on the ring. Congrats on the signing. I feel like this is uh more than welld deserved. Um and now you just got to keep it going. Yeah. [Music]

We’re so excited to welcome Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams back to the show, this time as an NBA Champion! Jalen shares the context of the wrist injury he played through in the playoffs, and explains why he kept it a secret and how he needed to change his shot. He then takes us back through each series of the Thunder’s Finals run against the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Indiana Pacers. He also shares his favorite moments from the Thunder’s parade and celebrations, as well as his thoughts on the trades and signings of the NBA offseason. The convo closes out with Jalen once again giving some movie takes. Let’s go!

0:00 Intro
0:51 Signing his contract extension
2:30 Explaining his wrist injury and changing his shot
8:42 First round against the Grizzlies
10:03 Second round against the Denver Nuggets
16:53 WCF against the Minnesota Timberwolves
19:24 The Indiana Pacers playoff run & the NBA Finals
31:09 Favorite celebration moments & the parade
35:30 Thoughts on summer transactions
39:05 Movie takes

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Previously The Old Man and the Three w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter