It’s not often that two players follow the same path from high school to college, and it’s even less often that the same two players will then go from the same college to the same professional team. Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe are not most people though, and their story together is equally as powerful for Arkansans as their separate stories.
Joe and Williams both grew up playing basketball. And as part of the Fort Smith community, the duo, though three years apart, had the opportunity to play at Northside High School, traveling from there to the University of Arkansas, eventually leading to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both Joe and Williams made quite the splash during their respective times playing at Northside High School. Joe and Williams were both named as Gatorade Players of the Year for Arkansas, in addition to being rated by 247sports, Rivals and ESPN during their recruitment years. Joe came to the Razorbacks being rated as the No. 2 player in the state of Arkansas and continued his work at Bud Walton Arena.
Williams was selected by OKC Thunder in 2022 as the 34th overall pick, and Joe joined OKC after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers. Both Williams and Joe are going into their second year at the Thunder together and both credit much of their professional athletic success to their upbringings in the River Valley. With two current NBA players receiving similar training early on, Northside High School is definitely a program to keep your eye on with success continuing.
In an effort to give back to the community that helped make them who they are today, Joe and Williams led part of the first-ever OKC Thunder Cares Camp at Northside High School in July 2023.
OKC Thunder Cares Foundation is considered to be a community relations department with a primary focus on youth, with emphasis on reading, literacy, health, fitness and youth basketball. While the organization is primarily focused on the greater Oklahoma City community, this year, the foundation brought its basketball camp to Fort Smith, as Williams and Joe both are integral parts of the Thunder organization.
William’s father, Michael, said watching his son not only play in the pros but bring pros back to his hometown has been a surreal experience.
“It’s great to see kids from Fort Smith both make it out to the big leagues together and to see Fort Smith talent be represented in such a big way,” Michael said, explaining that watching his son play for the Razorbacks was also an incredible experience.
Williams and Joe both described their homecoming to be somewhat surreal, and though they weren’t stepping into the gym that they played in while attending Northside High, the experience was still just as sweet.
“It’s great being in this gym and being able to share this opportunity with Isaiah,” Williams said. “Being out here with the campers that know they want to be great players and being with campers that I know want to be great is a great feeling.”
“Fort Smith means everything to me. I was born and raised here and when I think about Fort Smith, I think family, and not just because of my immediate family, but the community as a whole,” Joe said. “We do a really good job of bonding and bringing love to certain situations like this camp. You can see and feel the passion and my home town is definitely growing and getting better each year.”
The Thunder being present in Fort Smith is unprecedented, and something that both Williams and Joe expressed being proud of being involved with.
“I was talking to the campers, telling them that I wished we had something like this growing up, having somebody to watch and having NBA players being present at camp,” Williams said, expressing his excitement of being able to make this experience a possibility for them.
“Seeing the Impact that we can have on the kids is amazing. Seeing the impact of the things we do is incredible, it’s way more than just basketball for us,” Joe said. “The biggest thing for me has always been wanting to give back to the kids. I want them to have the resources that I didn’t have and I want them to think it’s a goal and not a dream to make it to the NBA.”
Northside High School has had a history of championship basketball teams and NBA connections, with coaching and legacy ties with players such as Jim King and Ron Brewer. Both King and Brewer had successful careers in the NBA and proudly represented Fort Smith.
“It’s really awesome to be in a position where we can show the kids that they can do it as well,” Williams said. “We went through the same high school, the same junior high and we went to the same parks. We did all the same things, and just showing the kids that they’re from the same area as us can give them a better look at things.”
Williams and Joe may have traveled down the same path, but because of their age difference, they did not spend much time on the court together until joining the Thunder. However, the moments the duo were on the court together were some of Williams’ best times playing.
“I don’t think I ever gave Zay credit for it, but being young, I was a 10th grader, and he was a senior. Coming into the gym, he was one of the best players in the state and I was unknown at the moment,” Williams said, reflecting on his high school experience. “Seeing his work ethic on the court, and seeing the way he would go hard at practice every day made me realize what I needed to do if I wanted to get to the same level as him. Sharing the court with him helped me get to where I am today.”
The duo did however grow up together, despite the age difference.
“J Will and I grew up together. He grew up playing with me and my younger brother so we grew up seeing each other’s accomplishments. Being able to somehow reconnect with OKC is very rare, and it’s been dope,” Joe said. “I remember seeing he got signed to OKC and as soon as I got Signed, he was the first person I contacted because I knew I was going to see him the next day.”
Both Williams and Joe have played a season together now, and a pretty successful season at that.
“After you get drafted it’s all excitement at that point, but then after that, it’s about making your stamp in the league and being a big impact for a team,” Joes said. “Definitely being out there, building chemistry with the guys winning games and having a successful season is what made last year so fun. Building a brotherhood is definitely something that I won’t ever take for granted and I’m definitely going to cherish that.”
Though Williams and Joe’s story is unique in a lot of aspects, they are not the only two Arkansans currently playing in the league. Arkansas has proven itself time and time again as a basketball state with talent such as Bobby Portis, Austin Reeves, Moses Moody, Malik Monk and Daniel Gaffer, all currently shining on their respective teams.
“I think now people are really starting to realize that we have athletes out here that are working hard and have goals and aspirations of playing on the highest levels,” Joe said. “Over the years we have had a lot of Arkansas players getting drafted yearly now and people are starting to take notice of that. It’s just going to continue.”
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