From high school teammates to NBA finals: Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe’s journey

Two players in the Oklahoma City Thunder share a history, from playing together at Northside High School to competing in the NBA Finals.

Thursday, June 5th 2025, 7:40 pm

By: News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -

Only one player, Alex Caruso, on the Thunder has ever been to the NBA Finals, but two of them shared a journey together that started way back in junior high.

It's interesting that these two former Razorbacks didn't play for current Arkansas coach John Calipari. Of course, Calipari coached Kentucky before taking the Arkansas job, recruiting and working with a slew of ballyhooed recruits who would play a year or two and head to the NBA. SGA being one of his pupils. As was Cason Wallace.

High School Teammates

They just missed each other at Arkansas, but you can trace it way back to when Jaylin Williams was in 7th grade and Isaiah Joe was in 9th grade.

Then they would play together and compete for a state championship at Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, during Isaiah Joe's senior year, although they did lose that championship game.

NBA Dreams Realized

Never did these two imagine they'd be playing alongside each other in the NBA, let alone competing together for an NBA championship.

“Zay was like the first person I saw work at a high level,” said Williams. “He won Gatorade player of the year that year when I was a temporary. He was a senior, and that kind of like showed me what I had to do to get to the level that he was.”

Reflecting on the Bigger Picture

“He played a lot with my younger brother growing up. So just being in this position with a guy like Jaylin is pretty cool. Moments like this don't happen too often,” Joe said.

“I think that it's still crazy,” said Williams. “I talk to Zay every now and then. We're on the same team. We're on the same team in the NBA. Our high school coaches came to the game last game, and they were here, and just sharing that opportunity with him. And I think there's always a bigger picture of everything. And me and Zay, playing on the same high school team, same NBA team, it gives kids where we're from somebody to look up to.”

J. Will is also the first Vietnamese American to play in the NBA finals. Vietnamese children here in Oklahoma and globally are looking at him, and maybe he can become the first Vietnamese American to win an NBA championship as well.

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