On plenty of otherwise routine Thunder nights, Jalen Williams turned Paycom Center into a live mixtape, slicing through defenses and flashing the kind of two-way juice that made the whole building roar. The 6-foot-5 guard’s sharp cuts and fearless finishes became a regular part of Oklahoma City’s home-court soundtrack as the Thunder rolled through the regular season.
A new photo gallery from The Oklahoman pulls those moments together in one place. Shot by Sarah Phipps and Bryan Terry, the collection spotlights everything from a March 27 scoring surge against the Chicago Bulls to a late regular-season timeout huddle against the Utah Jazz.
Gallery highlights
Many of the standout frames come from Paycom Center and showcase the kind of plays that had Oklahoma City buzzing. The gallery zeroes in on Williams’ March 27 outburst versus Chicago, a forced turnover on Luka Dončić on April 2, a March 29 celebration with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a December NBA Cup moment against the Phoenix Suns. According to NBA.com, Williams is listed as a guard-forward who wears No. 8 for the Thunder.
Where he fits
The photos also double as a visual timeline of his comeback. Williams returned from wrist surgery in late November and immediately made noise in his season debut, posting 11 points and eight assists in a win over Phoenix, per ESPN. That combination of scoring punch and playmaking feel is exactly what the gallery keeps circling: a young wing comfortably doing a bit of everything.
Big playoff nights
One of the most memorable shots in the collection reaches back to last June, when Williams erupted for a career playoff high of 40 points in Game 5 to push the Thunder within one win of an NBA title, as reported by The Associated Press. That kind of performance explains why photographers rarely took their lenses off him once the games started to matter most.
Why Oklahoma City cares
The gallery also underscores where all of this lands: right in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City. Many of the images were snapped at Paycom Center, the Thunder’s arena at 100 W. Reno Ave., according to Paycom Center. Local media and fans have closely tracked Williams’ recovery and the energy around his return, including his crucial Suns showdown comeback. For Oklahoma City, the photo set is less a simple highlight reel and more a reminder of why J-Dub has become must-watch basketball inside that building.
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