Jaylin Williams, also known as “J-Will,” is well known in Arkansas, both for his incredible college career with the Arkansas Razorbacks and for his passion for giving back to the community that created the professional basketball player, Fort Smith.
Williams is going into his second season with the Oklahoma City Thunder and has received a lot of attention for his upbringing, which was incredibly similar to another Thunder player, Isaiah Joe. Both Joe and Williams hosted the first-ever OKC Thunder Cares Camp in Fort Smith’s Northside High School gym last July. Neither Joe nor Williams have planned to slow down in supporting Arkansas, and Williams, personally, has a lot planned for this upcoming season.
Williams visited Kimmons Middle School to not only speak to the young football players with the Grizzly Cubs, but also to show support as he has decided to sponsor the team for this season.
“Honestly, for me, giving back to the community that fuels me is really big. I know those kids out there, and I know they look up to me, and I want to inspire them,” Williams said. “I want to be able to inspire them to believe that they can do what I’m out here doing.”
In showing face in Fort Smith regularly throughout the last several months, Williams said he believes that his presence has helped reinforce the belief that other kids from his hometown can also make their dreams a reality. In his message to the kids, Williams said he spoke about academics and determination, as those have been really important values in his own life.
“Being a student is just as important as being an athlete. Without being a good student, you can’t showcase how good of an athlete you are on the field or on the court,” Williams said. “The other really big thing that I think is super important is having fun. Everyone was out there and having a good time, and I just wanted them to know that they are capable of achieving anything they put their mind to, regardless of whether it’s football, baseball, basketball or if it has nothing to do with sports at all.”
Athletics have been a big part of Williams’ life, and as a professional athlete, he has firsthand experience in knowing just how incredible and important the game can be. While he managed to play basketball all throughout his life, he has also been painfully aware of the barriers that can prevent good players from participating.
“You just have to work hard and stay focused on your goals,” Williams said. “I think specifically at that age [middle school], there are financial worries that kids shouldn’t have to think about when playing any sport, and I know that when I was younger, in high school, there were things that I needed that I didn’t always have access to.”
Williams was a senior at Northside High School in 2020, and as the world was shut down, he still was expected to find time to train and practice. This experience led Williams and his father to get creative in perfecting his on-court skills.
“I didn’t even have a gym to work out in, so I was trying to find open public parks to work out in, and eventually we just had to buy a goal so that I could continue to train,” Williams said. “I wanted to sponsor the cubs because I wanted to make sure there were as few unnecessary obstacles keeping them from doing what they love, as possible.”
Williams said he is helping people because he is in a position to do so, and if anything, his biggest hope is that more people would help where they can.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to be in the position that I’m in. I’ve made it to the NBA and I’m so happy to be able to do what I love, but now it’s bigger than just me playing in the NBA. It’s about me being able to give back to the kids and give them a stepping stool, it’s about me making it easier on them in the ways I can.”
While he can’t speak on all of his plans for the future yet, Williams did say that next summer he is planning on starting the Jaylin Williams Camp, which will be a community-based camp, and one he plans on continuing year-after-year.
Fort Smith will continue to be Williams’ off-court focus, as he has continued to be supported by his hometown.
“Most of my family is still here in Fort Smith, and I know the city like the back of my hand. When I come home, I find myself seeing familiar faces everywhere I go and connecting with people I knew way back in middle school,” Williams said. “It’s the small things like that. Everybody is sort of a big family here, and everyone is always supporting each other and just seeing my family and the kids who are going to the same schools that I did look up to me has been amazing.”
As for this upcoming season, Williams is beyond-ready to be back on the court.
“I’m excited to be back and to continue to get better this upcoming season,” Williams said. “We’re a really young team and we have such good, connected chemistry as a team, and I think as a team, we all just want to continue to get better. I know last year, we broke a lot of expectations, and we want to continue doing that, but to do that, we have to just continue getting better, and that’s really the main focus for me.”
Photos courtesy of Northside Grizzly Cubs Facebook Page
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