"Not even a mention": Jalen Williams trolls ESPN for failing to acknowledge his attendance in Perry High School game
Jalen Williams took some time off during the regular season to watch his alma mater, the Perry Pumas, as they vied for the 2024 Boys Basketball Open State Championship against the Millenium Tigers. Despite his contributions to his high school team, the attention of a social media post by SportsCenterNext bypassed him, instead spotlighting his OKC Thunder teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Upon seeing the Instagram Post, Jalin Williams took it to his social media account:
"Ouch! Not even a mention," captioned Williams
Williams was not done posting on his Instagram story but also made some comments at the post hinting that bringing SGA was an an extra treat for the fans in the venue.
The Instagram account edited the post right after to feature both Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Williams witnessed the Perry Pumas overcome a 17-point deficit to defeat the Millennium Tigers 71-67, clinching their third consecutive 2024 Boys Basketball Open State Championship with five-star recruit Koa Peat leading the comeback.
Jalen Williams' time with the Perry Pumas
During his high school years, Jalen Williams played as a six-foot point guard for Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He also had a growth spurt reaching six-foot-three by the time he sighed his national letter of intent with Santa Clara.
Despite this growth, Williams was still listed as a guard as he earned the recognition as the 9th ranked player in Arizona by 247 Sports.
Excelling in his senior year, Williams averaged over 25 points and received accolades such as the Chandler Unified School District Player of the Year award and the 2017-18 Region Offensive Player of the year.
Despite offers from Hofstra and Nevada, Williams committed to Santa Clara as a three-star recruit according to 247Sports and Rivals where he played college ball from 2019 to 2022.
In his sophomore campaign with the OKC Thunder, Williams has shown significant improvement, elevating his scoring from 14.1 points per game in his rookie season to 19.2 points per game as a starter across all 54 games of the ongoing 2023-24 season.
The 22-year-old swingman has also been a valuable asset in other areas, contributing 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. Williams has notably improved his shooting efficiency, boasting a 54.5% overall shooting percentage and an impressive 44.5% accuracy from beyond the three-point line.
Currently, the OKC Thunder leads the NBA Western Conference with a 42-16 record, with only the Minnesota Timberwolves trailing closely behind by just half a game.