GILBERT – Oklahoma City met Gilbert, Arizona, Tuesday night when Perry High School honored alumnus and NBA champion Jalen Williams.
Custom “JDub” shirts were handed out at the entrance of Perry’s home game against Hamilton as a sold-out crowd gathered to witness Williams’ No. 11 jersey unveiled on the gymnasium wall.
“(Williams) represents the very best of Perry High School,” Perry athletic director Jennifer Burks said. “His journey from the Dan Serrano Gymnasium to the highest levels of professional basketball serves as an inspiration to our current and future Pumas. We are thrilled that his will be the first number to be hung on our wall of honor.”
Williams was back in his hometown for the Thunders’ game against the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night. He was joined at Perry by many of his Thunder teammates including Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and Arizona State alum Lu Dort. The student section went wild when the reigning NBA champions entered the gym.
“It’s special,” Williams said of his teammates. “Nobody asks them to do that. That’s just kind of the team we have. They want to support.”
After the thank yous and the speeches were over, Williams was finally able to see his No. 11 high school jersey hung on the wall. He took in the moment alongside his parents Ronald and Nicole Williams, both United States Air Force veterans.
“My mom was going to school while she was working,” he said. “Med school is not easy. And then my dad having to carry the load and work and still take me to practice. … We ate a lot of Little Caesars. They know how much they sacrificed.”
Although he said “it feels distant” to be back in the Perry facility, Williams recounted countless memories from his high school days, from sneaking into the weight room to having benching competitions with his teammates, to getting kicked out of the library.
“I remember all of that stuff before I remember basketball,” Williams said.
Sam Duane Jr., who stepped down as Perry’s coach after its fourth consecutive state championship last March, was Williams’ coach throughout his time at Perry. Duane Jr. was in the building to celebrate his former player.
“From that 5-11 sophomore carrying those red shoes around the court to Santa Clara to an NBA All-Star to a world champion with the Thunder, it’s been a pleasure to watch you,” Duane Jr. told Williams during his speech.
Williams grew to about 6-feet-3 by the time he left Perry, but he was still not heavily recruited and held only three Division I offers when he committed to Santa Clara. With the Broncos, he averaged 18 points per game in his final year and was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which is given to the nation’s top mid-major player.
Tuesday wasn’t the first time Williams saw his jersey lifted into the rafters. In December, he became the eighth player to be honored by Santa Clara. His No. 24 jersey now hangs in the Leavey Center alongside that of Suns legend Steve Nash.
After three years at Santa Clara, Williams gained attention as a versatile shot creator with a lengthy 7-foot-2 wingspan. The Thunder selected him No. 12 overall in 2022, and Williams has been a catalyst for Oklahoma City ever since. He averaged 23.6 points per game in the 2025 Finals and even scored 40 points in Game 5.
“You could see that he was going to grow. He played with a tremendous confidence, which he does now,” Duane Jr. said. “Jalen has always believed in himself and I think that’s allowed him to continue to work. And his work ethic is off the charts.”
Williams spoke often of his younger brother, Cody, a 2024 lottery pick for the Utah Jazz, who played at Perry and won two state championships just after Jalen graduated. It’s a grudge Jalen has since let go.
“I got an NBA ring, so we’re about even right now,” Williams said, joking. “But he used to bring it up all the time and now I got a jersey retired before him … so we’re good.”
Williams has little doubt that his brother’s jersey will soon hang beside his. And if that happens, it will be another reminder of the pipeline that runs through Arizona basketball – one he believes has always been stronger than outsiders realized.
“If you look back, I was playing against Marvin Bagley and Alex Barcello, Dan Kiper, Saben Lee … Nico Mannion,” Williams said. “(Arizona has) always had the talent here, it’s just blowing up even more.”
The talent hasn’t slowed at Perry. University of Arizona forward Koa Peat, the most notable Puma since the Williams brothers, won four straight state championships and one day could see his own jersey raised to the rafters.
For now, the honor belongs solely to Williams. And for the next 5-foot-11 sophomore carrying red shoes across the Perry gym floor, he offered one warning:
“Don’t try to pick No. 11.”
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