Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Cody and Jalen Williams played against each other for the first time in the NBA.
- Jalen scored 18 points, leading the Thunder to a 130-107 victory over the Jazz.
- The Williams brothers exchanged jerseys, marking a memorable family moment.
SALT LAKE CITY — Cody Williams had some new shoes on Friday. So did his brother, Jalen.
Was there a better night for the Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star to debut his player-exclusive Harden Volume 9s than the first game against his younger brother?
"They had to fly someone out here to bring him his shoes," Cody Williams said with a smile. "I think it was crazy, especially since we get to debut his shoes. … It's just great we get to share those moments."
The Williams brothers grew up dreaming of a moment like Friday. They're four years apart in age — Cody was a freshman in high school when Jalen was a freshman in college — so they quickly realized if they ever wanted to play on the same court it would have to be in the pros.
"It's just crazy that that came true," Cody said.
At the start of the second quarter, Cody was in for the Jazz and Jalen was in for the Thunder. At long last, the two brothers were playing in a real game together. They didn't end up guarding each other much, with the biggest interaction coming when Jalen hit a 3-pointer as Cody closed out on him.
"That was a scramble. I don't count that as him scoring on me," the younger brother said of the play.
That was to be expected, though. The Thunder want Jalen to guard one of the opponent's best players, and Cody isn't quite physically ready to take on a bulky wing like his older brother. But there was one moment when Jalen picked up his brother.
Jalen Williams 🤝 Cody Williams
— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2025
Brotherly love. https://t.co/C5lDedBPhmpic.twitter.com/M3jXLdo1Cu
When the Jazz came out of a timeout in the first half, Jalen got near Cody and told him that the ensuing possession was going to be the only play that he was going to guard him.
Cody's response: "If I get it, just know I'm attacking you."
The ball, though, didn't come to the younger Williams. But he thinks there will be plenty more chances for that in the future.
"I wish I could have matched up more, but we have a game plan we're going out there to execute," the Jazz rookie said. "So I understand that part, and we're gonna have a lot more opportunities to match up against each other, so not too worried about it."
In the end, the older brother won the matchup. Jalen finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the Thunder blew out the Jazz 130-107. Cody finished with 3 points and three rebounds in 16 minutes.
"It was kind of weird. I know everyone on their team just because I've known them the past three years," Cody said. "It kind of felt like a pickup game, how we all just know each other and just having fun hooping, so it was really good experience."
In the end, the final score didn't matter to the Williams family. Their parents sat in the crowd with matching custom Thunder/Jazz mash-up jerseys, and their mother had a sweater made of them featuring a picture of the brothers at Cody's draft night.
"It's just nice to always have family out," Cody said. "You could tell she (their mother) was crying. Her eyes were a little red, so I think they kind of just realized the situation and how blessed we are. It's just always an awesome moment to have family out here."
The two brothers also exchanged jerseys after the game — lasting mementos of a night they had both dreamed about for years.
