Following a breakout third season, Oklahoma City Thunder star forward Jalen Williams weighed in on the intense media scrutiny that comes with being in the spotlight.
Williams played a pivotal role in the Thunder’s breakout 2024-25 season, helping lead the team to a league-best and franchise-record 68 wins en route to the 2025 NBA championship. Despite the team’s youth, he stepped up in the postseason as their second-leading scorer, averaging 21.4 points per game and delivering in multiple Game 7 victories.
Even so, Williams faced constant criticism following his off nights, with the media zeroing in on his inconsistency rather than his accomplishments for his age (24). However, the one-time All-Star has adopted a balanced approach to dealing with unreasonable expectations.
Jalen Williams on Managing Relentless NBA Media Cycle
During a Thursday appearance on “The Young Man and The Three,” Williams touched on the ruthless nature of ratings-driven NBA media coverage. He underscored how many fans often lean too heavily on what high-profile media personalities have to say about players rather than form their own opinions.
“The media thing for me is like, they’re gonna love you one day, they’re gonna hate you the next day, and that cycle is going to continue so they can get people to watch, and people don’t actually watch, they just listen to what people are saying,” Williams said.
While Williams shot below 40% in nine of 23 playoff outings, he delivered a playoff career-high 40 points during OKC’s pivotal Game 5 NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers. He did so despite it later being revealed that he played the entire postseason with a torn ligament in his right wrist, requiring offseason surgery.
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According to the 2025 All-NBA Third Team selectee, his level-headedness allowed him to persevere and capture his first title.
“So, that helped me a lot because then it was like, I have a bad game, it’s like, I’m actually the only one experiencing what’s going on,” Williams said.
“… And then, two, it was just like, just keep the main thing the main thing. There’s gonna be ups and downs during the series, but like, whatever work you put in during the summer is going to show up when you need it, and I was pretty confident in a lot of the stuff that I had done leading up to it.”
“People don’t actually watch, they just listen to what people are saying.” — Jalen Williams on how he deals with the media and critics pic.twitter.com/QshhZfACDX
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) July 19, 2025
The Thunder’s Big 3 of Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chet Holmgren are each 27 or younger and under contract through the 2030-31 season after inking extensions this summer.
As such, the organization is positioned to contend for years to come and establish a potential dynasty. Williams’ poise and composure should only bolster his squad’s chances of doing just that.
