Jalen Williams, Thunder reacts to first All-Star selection
02/01/2025 12:29 AM
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams was named an All-Star reserve for next month’s All-Star Game. It’s the first selection of his career. Williams discussed potentially becoming a 2025 All-Star. Then, he was officially named to the Western All-Star, alongside Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson, Houston Rockets’ Alperen, and San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama in the front court.
After the announcement, Williams posted the NBA’s announcement on his 24-hour Instagram story.
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The Thunder posted the same to their Instagram page. Williams is averaging 21.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game this season. He’ll join Thunder All-Star starter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in San Francisco for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will join SGA in the backcourt. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic round out the frontcourt.
Jalen Williams’ surprising response on a potential All-Star selection
Thunder All-Star forward Jalen Williams discussed his potential All-Star selection earlier this month and responded in a somewhat surprising way to the prospect of earning the first of his career.
Williams wasn’t concerned about it but admitted it would be an honor.
"I don't really worry about that," Williams said. "I wanna do more to win games; wherever that falls is where it falls. I feel like once you get wrapped into that it starts to hinder team success. It's something cool. I think that would be awesome to go. Obviously, my school is right there too so that would be pretty cool as I'm telling you the reasons I'd like to go. At the same time, we have a bigger goal than me going to the All-Star."
Still, improvement remains critical for Williams.
"It's like one of those things where I'm constantly trying to improve my game to be able to be very good and win the playoffs in April and on," Williams added. "So, I'm not giving it too much thought."
The Thunder are 37-9 atop the Western Conference after a 116-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point performance. The 2024 MVP runner-up scored a career-high 54 points the week before in the Thunder’s 123-114 win against the Jazz.
The Thunder will begin a four-game homestand against the Kings on Saturday. Then, one week before the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities, they’ll face the Bucks, the Suns, and the Raptors on Friday.
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