Jalen Devonn Williams (born April 14, 2001), also known by his nickname J-Dub, is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Santa Clara Broncos for three seasons before declaring for the 2022 NBA draft where he was selected by the Thunder in the first round.
High school career
Moving from Colorado, Williams played basketball at Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. Starting off as a 6-feet tall point guard, Williams grew 8 inches from his sophomore to senior year of high school. Despite this, Santa Clara still listed him as a 6'3" guard when Williams signed his national letter of intent. As a senior, Williams was ranked 9th among prep players in Arizona by 247Sports. Williams ended his high school career averaging more than 25 points per game in his senior year, being named the Chandler Unified School District Player of the Year as a junior, and was awarded the 2017–18 Region Offensive Player of the Year.
Recruiting
Rated as a three-star recruit by major recruiting services 247Sports and Rivals, Williams commited to Santa Clara over offers from Hofstra and Nevada.
College career
On November 5, 2019, Williams made his debut for Santa Clara, recording 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals against UC Santa Cruz. As a freshman, Williams played in all 33 games, starting in the final 23 games while leading the team in steals with 44 – which ranked third on the school's all-time freshman list. Against Mississippi Valley State, Williams had season bests with 19 points, 7 rebound, and career highs in field goals, three-pointers, and assists. He finished his freshman season averaging 7.7 points in 25.5 minutes. In his sophomore season, Williams started in all of his 18 appearances and was second on the team in scoring and free throw percentage. In the opening round of the 2021 WCC tournament, Williams recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Pepperdine in a 78–70 loss. He increased his scoring average to 11.5 points in 31.6 minutes in his sophomore season.
In his final season with Santa Clara, Williams emerged as a scorer, finishing second in the WCC with 18.0 points per game while shooting 51.3%. In 31 out of 33 games, Williams scored in double figures including scoring 16 or more points in 21 games. Against Hawaii, Williams registered a career-high 30 points with four rebounds and four assists on November 30, 2021. On January 27, 2022, Williams hit a game-winning shot against BYU while finishing with 26 points. On March 15, 2022 in the 2022 NIT, Williams played his final collegiate game, finishing with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 63–50 loss against Washington State. At the end of the season, Williams was named as a First Team All-WCC selection, Second Team NABC All-District, and was named as a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, given to the nation's top mid-major player.
As a three-year guard, Williams finished his collegiate career as a two-time All-WCC choice and reached 1,000 career points as a junior after averaging 12.6 points on 46.9% shooting for his career. On March 31, 2022, Williams declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility.
Professional career
Oklahoma City Thunder (2022–present) Described as a long, smooth small forward who can score on strong efficiency numbers while showing a sense of urgency and can use his length to contest shots, Williams was drafted 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2022 NBA draft. With the selection, Williams became the first Santa Clara player to be drafted since Steve Nash in 1996. He is currently the highest drafted Bronco prospect in the modern era and the second-highest in Santa Clara history behind Ken Sears in 1955.