Jaylin Williams

Williams was born June 29, 2002, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Williams played basketball for Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas. As a sophomore, he helped his team reach the Class 7A state final. In his junior season, Williams averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game, and he was named Arkansas Division I Player of the Year by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He led his team to the Class 6A state title and was named tournament MVP after recording 20 points and 16 rebounds in the title game. As a senior, Williams averaged 18.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, earning Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors and repeating as Arkansas Division I Player of the Year. A consensus four-star recruit, he decided to stay close to home, committing to Arkansas. As a freshman at Arkansas, Williams struggled to see the court. He flipped the script during his sophomore year when he became a regular starter, averaging 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, receiving first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors from the league's coaches. He was a second-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press and made the All-Defensive Team. He declared for the NBA draft and opted to forgo his remaining college eligibility. The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Williams in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft with the 34th overall pick, becoming the first player of Vietnamese descent to be drafted in the NBA.