The 2024-25 NBA season has been incredibly kind to the OKC Thunder.
On top of team accomplishments such as boasting the second-best record in the entire league at 37-9 and being on pace toward becoming arguably the greatest defense the game has ever seen, many on the roster are beginning to rack up numerous meaningful individual accolades as well.
The most notable example of this came Thursday night when it was revealed that Oklahoma City will be sending two of their players out to San Fransisco next month for the annual NBA All-Star Game, as it was announced on Thursday night that Jalen Williams will be joining already anointed starter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a reserve in the mid-season exhibition.
Considering they've both been playing at truly electric rates thus far into the season and have served as the top two options on the top-seeded Thunder, this achievement was both well-deserved and, based on history, heavily projected.
And while J-Dub's recent selection might create many potential aftereffects for the future of this Thunder team, it also adds him and SGA into a rather exclusive club spanning throughout the club's history.
Jalen Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander join historic Thunder club
Since migrating to the Sooner State back in 2007, the Thunder have had several players represent the franchise in the league's annual All-Star Game. However, interestingly enough, only two other pairs have done so at the same time.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook served as a tandem in the star-studded contest on five separate occasions while Westbrook and Paul George did so twice. The last time OKC sent two players to the All-Star Game was back during the 2018-19 campaign.
Now, joining this group flush with perennial All-NBA selections and MVP winners are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, and for good reason.
Both are playing through easily their best seasons in their respective professional careers.
Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace toward joining Michael Jordan as the only two players in league history to finish a season with per-game averages of at least 31.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
Williams, meanwhile, is dropping career-highs of 21.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and just shy of a block on 47.5 percent shooting from the field while being tasked with playing well beyond his 6-foot-6, 211-pound frame.
Due to widespread injuries, coach Daigneault has leaned on the natural wing to slot in anywhere from a primary ball-handler to the team's starting center throughout the year.
To say their 2025 All-Star nods are deserved would be a serious understatement. Now, as a result, they find themselves grouped in with some of the best talents to have ever donned the Thunder's threads.