Jalen Williams just achieved the status Thunder fans feared he never would

In 2016, a 5-foot-6 freshman guard at Perry High School worried about his short stature, with big dreams of making the NBA. When it came to playing at the next level, nobody believed in Jalen Williams.

Despite his worries, he put his head down and refined his skill set throughout his high school career. With a little help from an 11-inch growth spurt, he earned a three-star ranking.

He received offers from Santa Clara, Nevada, and Hofstra before eventually deciding to commit to the Broncos.

At the time, Santa Clara hadn't produced an NBA player in nearly 20 years, so this was viewed as a not-so-desirable path for his NBA hopes.

As far as making it to the pros out of a school like this, nobody believed in Williams.

After averaging 7.7 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting in his freshman campaign, NBA dreams looked even bleaker.

Over his final three seasons at the collegiate level, however, he blossomed into mid-major stardom, averaging 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 51.3 / 39.6 / 80.9 shooting splits in his senior season

The young kid from Perry High School was on the brink of achieving his dream of reaching the NBA, and it was realized at the 2022 NBA Draft. The Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the No. 12 pick, a move that was met with mixed reactions.

Fans, analysts doubted Thunder star Jalen Williams early on

He notched a lukewarm B-grade from Bleacher Report, who cited his inability to fill a "prominent role" in the NBA as the explanation. Fox Sports graded the selection with a B, but described him as "a bit overvalued" in regards to his draft spot.

His skillset as a productive player was undeniable, but when it came to being anymore than a role player, nobody believed in Williams.

In his rookie season, the Santa Clara product crushed those low expectations, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting and winning two Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards.

The future looked bright for the young Thunder forward, but many still believed Australian guard Josh Giddey was the future star alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Yet again, he took another leap in his second season, skyrocketing to 19.1 points per game as the second-leading scorer on a 57-win OKC team. However, in the Western Conference Semifinals series against the Dallas Mavericks, the young star struggled mightily, dropping to 17.2 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.

Many clamored for him to be traded for veteran superstars like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo, claiming he wouldn't be a good enough supporting star on a team with legitimate championship aspirations.

When it came to becoming elite, nobody believed in Williams.

Jalen Williams defied the odds with monster third-year with Thunder

He bounced back strong with a 2025 All-Star appearance and helped lead the Thunder to a league-high 68 wins while increasing his points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game. As the Thunder were now set to compete for a championship, all eyes were on him.

The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, but blew a lead to lose the first game of the second-round series against the Denver Nuggets – largely due to Williams' 5-for-20 shooting performance.

He struggled throughout the second round for a second consecutive season, shooting 37.5 percent from the field and scoring 15 points or less twice.

The Thunder looked like they wouldn't get over the second round hump, with large blame being placed on Williams.

Nobody believed in him.

The Thunder scraped by the Nuggets in a brutal seven-game series, and followed it up with a five-game beatdown of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.

Now in the title round, Williams and the Thunder were set to face off against what felt like the biggest Cinderella story in sports history – Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers.

On the biggest stage of his life, Williams delivered.

With the series tied at 2-2 four games in, Williams dropped 40 points at Paycom Center, etching his name in the list of many "first since" lists.

In the next game, Williams once again made history, this time on the wrong side, by becoming the first player in NBA Finals history to have a -40 plus-minus. Thunder fans began to fear that he'd once again be the team's downfall in the upcoming Game 7, doubting whether he would provide enough to finish the job.

The kid who'd been doubted throughout every stage of his career had another opportunity to prove the consensus wrong – and did exactly that. Williams scored 20 points in Sunday's title-clinching finale and wrapped with the top plus-minus rating on the night at +13.

The same 5-foot-6 15-year-old who hustled his way to Santa Clara, then Oklahoma City, then to an All-Star Game and All-NBA honors was celebrating in a rain of blue and orange confetti in the Paycom Center, hoisting the Larry O' Brien Trophy.

Believe that?