Is Jalen Williams related to Jaylin Williams? How Thunder landed two players with the same name

Colin Capece

Is Jalen Williams related to Jaylin Williams? How Thunder landed two players with the same name image

If you've been watching the Western Conference Finals, you may have noticed that the Thunder have two players who share the same name.

Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams were both drafted by Oklahoma City in 2022 and have been confounding broadcasters, statisticians and fans ever since.

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It's easiest to tell the two players apart by their positions and their nicknames. Jalen is a small forward who goes by "J-Dub" and Jaylin is a power forward who goes by "Jay Will"

Alright, we can now distinguish who's who. But are Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams related?

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Which one is Jalen Williams? 

Just to clarify, this is Jalen Williams ("J-Dub"):

Jalen Williams Oklahoma City Thunder

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And this is Jaylin Williams (Jay Will):

Are Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams related?

Even though they share the same last name, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams are not related. This is a constant source of confusion for fans who are just tuning in to Thunder games.

If you forget about their positions and their nicknames, Jalen Williams is No. 8 and Jaylin Williams is No. 6. 

Jalen Williams stats

Working alongside NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams has been one of the NBA's best sidekicks this season. He averaged 21.6 points, 5.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds and he was named an All-Star and an All-NBA player for the first time in his career.

Here's a look at Williams' career stats

SeasonAgeTeamGGSMPFG%FT%3P%StlBlkAstRebPts
2022-2321OKC756230.3.521.812.3561.40.53.34.514.1
2023-2422OKC717131.3.540.814.4271.10.64.54.019.1
2024-2523OKC696932.4.484.789.3651.60.75.15.321.6
Career  21520231.3.513.803.3821.40.64.34.618.1

Jaylin Williams stats

Jaylen Williams has been a solid contributor over his three-year career in Oklahoma City. He's known more for his imposing presence in the paint, which helped the Thunder be the best defense in the NBA this year. 

Here's a look at Williams' career stats

SeasonAgeTeamGGSMPFG%FT%3P%StlBlkAstRebPts
2022-2320OKC493618.7.436.704.4070.60.21.64.95.9
2023-2421OKC69113.0.417.805.3680.40.41.63.44.0
2024-2522OKC47916.7.439.767.3990.50.62.65.65.9
Career  1654615.7.430.752.3900.50.41.94.55.1

Colin Capece

Colin Capece is an editorial intern for The Sporting News. He previously wrote The Dallas Morning News, USA Today and The Arizona Republic. Colin earned his master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and loves to talk baseball and basketball.