Jalen Williams' All-Star Nod is Further Proof of OKC Thunder's Legitimacy

With two years straight at the top of the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder getting two All-Stars is proving just how much of a contender it is.

Jan 23, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) dribbles the ball down the court against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

For the first time since Russell Westbrook and Paul George did it in 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder has two All-Stars heading into the 2025 All-Star game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the obvious choice making it for the Thunder — he's the frontrunner of the MVP race and was selected for the third time in his career. The second player to get it is Jalen Williams, who earned the first selection of his career by averaging 21.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

With a 37-9 record at the top of the Western Conference for the second consecutive year, it's no surprise that Oklahoma City notched two selections. Its lead isn't particularly close to being contested, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams are the clear top two options that have been driving that success.

Last year when the Thunder made its rise in the West official, Gilgeous-Alexander was the only player to reach the game. Though Williams and Chet Holmgren had promising campaigns, neither player had the development or notoriety to make it to the big game.

Since then, Oklahoma City's legitimacy has only grown stronger. Even though the likelihood of last season being a fluke was loose to begin with, the possibility of it being a fluke has been disproven even further. Being at this level for two years straight is impressive enough, so it makes sense that All-Star voters were drawn to selecting two of its players.

Being a small market relative to the rest of the NBA or not having a long list of franchise accomplishments is what the Thunder has to deal with on the surface, but it's foregone most of this in order to make the most of draft picks it's put together. It's overall an incredibly young group, but the playoff situation it is in now is wise beyond its years.

Williams obviously had its strongest case for an All-Star nomination this season, but there was room for it happening as soon as last year. Even with these numbers he would've been a question mark that time around, with Oklahoma City being as notably good as it is, now there's no excuse to its second-best player not making it.

Sure, there were worthy candidates prying the All-Star game this year. But still, it's hard to argue against an opponent with an impressive stat line and a big advantage in the win category.

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