• Faith: Christian
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  April 04, 2001

Jalen Williams is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. He was born in Denver, Colorado, but his family moved to Arizona when Jalen was 7 years old. He attended Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He was ranked a three-star recruit by the major recruiting services, and he chose Santa Clara University over offers from the University of Nevada and Hofstra University.

As a freshman at Santa Clara, Jalen played in all of the team's games. He was in the starting lineup for the last 23 games of the season and led the team in steals with 44. He continued to improve throughout his career at Santa Clara. After posting his first career double-double in the final game of his freshman season, he continued to improve as a sophomore. He averaged over 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game as a sophomore.

As a junior, Jalen's statistical averages continued to increase. He averaged 18 points per game as a junior, along with over 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He was named a First-Team player for the West Coast Conference (WCC) and was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, given annually to the nation's top player from a "mid-major" school. He finished his career as a two-time All-WCC player, scoring over 1,000 points. At the end of his junior season, Jalen entered the NBA draft, although he did not hire an agent (this kept the door open to returning to school).

Jalen was drafted 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2022 NBA draft. He was the first player from Santa Clara to be drafted since Steve Nash was taken by the Phoenix Suns in 1996. As a rookie, Jalen was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after being named Rookie of the Month twice during the season. He also finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He averaged over 14 points, over 4 rebounds and over 3 assists per game.

Jalen has continued to improve, along with the Thunder, in the succeeding seasons. The Thunder have reached the NBA playoffs each of the last three years, including winning the NBA championship in the 2024-2025 season. Jalen was named a reserve for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game and was named to the Third Team All-NBA following the season. He was also named to the All-Defensive Second Team. For the season, Jalen averaged over 21 points, along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. During the playoff run, he nearly matched his regular-season statistics, averaging just under 5 assists along with over 21 points and 5 rebounds per game.

Jalen Williams' Religious Beliefs

Jalen regularly demonstrates his Christian faith in interviews and his social media feeds. For example, following the Thunder's championship in 2025, he repeatedly referenced his faith and his family upbringing. "God's been extremely good to me…I was definitely raised in a God-first household." He talked about his faith, his family, and strong friendships as the things that help him to handle pressure and push through difficult situations.

Jalen also demonstrates his faith through his community and charitable work. He has donated numerous items for auctions to fund Youth employment service agencies. He has also purchased shoes and winter clothing for numerous families in need throughout Oklahoma. Jalen also participates in NBA Cares, assisting with youth basketball clinics and supporting various programs, such as Make-A-Wish. Through his witness and compassionate, charitable work, Jalen demonstrates the reality of his relationship with Jesus Christ.