NBA FINALS: THUNDER VS. PACERS

June 22, 2025

Jalen Williams

Oklahoma City Thunder

Game 7: Postgame

Oklahoma City Thunder 103, Indiana Pacers 91

Q. Jalen, you sat up there yesterday, talking about the history, appreciating the moment. You said you couldn't go there unless you got the outcome that you wanted. Now that you got the outcome, are you able to process where you are in this time in history?

JALEN WILLIAMS: Nope [laughter]. No, not at all. Actually, I just had my first drink. I'm working on that.

I think in a couple days I'll be able to come back down to earth a little bit. Right now, I'm just trying to enjoy the moment. God's been extremely good to me. I definitely felt that. Coming off the court, a lot of trials and tribulations throughout my career, a lot of things that I don't speak on. He's been very good to me. That was the one thing I reflected on so far. Then I had alcohol, so...

Yeah, pushing through that [smiling].

Q. You've had some big third quarters before, but what was said at halftime to come out and take control of the game?

JALEN WILLIAMS: First, I want to say I hope Tyrese is okay. I haven't looked at my phone. Obviously, that changes the outcome of the game a little bit, changes the dynamic of the game. Going into halftime a lot of it was not letting up because he's not playing. Then, too, just don't panic. When you're that close to a goal, but got to understand the other team is feeling the same way we are. I think that gave us a lot of confidence to go out there and just play, play through being nervous.

Damn, I lost my train of thought.

Oh, yeah. At halftime, obviously Haliburton not being there, just keep doing the things that were getting us there all season. So, playing hard defensively, trying to get stops, taking it one possession at a time. As the game started to wind down a little bit, it's easier to take your foot off the gas and not pay attention. So we did a good job of course correcting the first half. I think our defense did pretty good the first half, too. Trying to maintain our energy throughout the whole game.

Q. Talk me through the last few moments on the court. You went down to the far end by yourself. What was going through your mind?

JALEN WILLIAMS: It's a blur. Like I said earlier, I was just very, very blessed to be in this situation. A lot of that emotion definitely hit me a little bit. Like I said, there's a lot of stuff that I don't really speak on, like everybody in the room.

So a lot of the emotions from that kind of hit me to push through. Coming from not being known in college, to three, four years later being an NBA champion, having an impact on a championship team is God's gift for sure. So, it's been really cool to get that. That was a rush of emotion.

I lokked up, I messed up and looked up, my mom was crying in the stands, so that made me tear up a little bit. That, too, was some of the rush of the emotion.

Q. You keep looking at that trophy in the middle of all your answers.

JALEN WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. When it was first handed to you, what is that moment like?

JALEN WILLIAMS: Well, it's heavy.

Q. Heavier than expected?

JALEN WILLIAMS: Honestly, the other one I think is actually heavier than this one. I think. So that was cool.

It doesn't feel real. Like, the last minute and a half of the game didn't feel like I was there anymore. Kind of just felt like I left my body a little bit and just watched myself get it and do that whole thing. It still doesn't feel real.

I'm just kind of like trying to think back to the beginning of the season. It just feels like a complete blur up until this point.

Just looking at it right now, it's very, like, weird. It's a little humbling, I think. Just have a lot of emotions with it. It does not feel real at all.

Q. You've always been someone who prioritized team success. What does that mean to you now to have something like this after all the individual sacrifices to add to your trophy case?

JALEN WILLIAMS: It's a good first one [smiling].

Yeah, like I said, just coming into the NBA, I really wanted to win.

ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN: Isaiah Hartenstein from iHeartMedia. How does it feel to win your first championship?

JALEN WILLIAMS: I was already asked that question. I'll answer for both of you.

Like being close in high school. In college we were never close. Like I said, it's surreal, it's a blessing. To be able to win with idiots like Hart [smiling], it's cool. It's a lot of sacrifices. Everybody makes sacrifices on the team. Mine aren't super special.

It's dope to be able to do it, more so with this group that I consider family. I've been super fortunate to be around them. Like the way we hit it off my first year, as a group, it's just special. To maintain that through three years, to win with them is something I couldn't have dreamed of, something I didn't think would happen when I first got in the NBA. It's been really cool.

Q. Talk about your support system and how it helped you get to this point.

JALEN WILLIAMS: Definitely raised in a God-first household. That was big for me leaning into that. Got to trust a lot going into that. I've leaned on that, for sure.

Me and my parents have a great relationship. So, I'm super fortunate to have that. I know a lot of people don't have that. I don't take it for granted. So I always cherish that. Me and my brother are about as close as it gets. My friends.

I'm very fortunate to have the support group that I have. I've talked about like me writing, too. I think that's really helped, too. Just being able to write my thoughts, clear my mind has been big. When you add all that together, I've been able to push through a lot.