Jalen Williams has been busy this offseason through podcast interviews and other activities after winning the 2025 NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder star entered the league in 2022, just before college players could make money. He joked about missing out and is now focusing on his future after signing a five-year, $287 million deal with the Thunder.
He recently made interesting suggestions to save the NBA All-Star Game. The 24-year-old forward played college basketball at Santa Clara and was picked 12th overall in the 2022 NBA draft. After three years, he lifted the title with the Thunder and made the All-NBA team and All-Defensive Second Team. Williams recently discussed how NIL deals are stripping away the traditional college experience for NCAA athletes.
“I think the only thing with giving kids that much money is you kind of ruin a little bit of the college experience ’cause like, looking at it for me, it was like low-key fun looking back,” Williams said on the Out The Mud podcast. “Like some of my fun stuff was like not having money in college ’cause that’s like part of the experience. Everybody’s broke in college.”
Now, the young forward is coming off a strong season as an NBA champion, but he believes those humble beginnings helped shape him. Despite the money he earns today, he still appreciates where he came from and never forgets his early days.
Jalen Williams Reveals Another Skill Apart From Basketball
Williams had a great year with the Thunder last season. He helped them win the 2025 NBA championship, and his explosive 40-point game propelled the team to the championship run.
Despite his success on the court, Williams says his best skill is fashion. On the Out of the Mud podcast, he admits that he is “the best dressed in the NBA.”
However, he also believes the Thunder are the best-dressed team. Besides his fashion sense, his on-court deliveries make him stand tall among the greats.
The post Thunder Star Jalen Williams Sounds Off On How NIL Is Destroying The True ‘College Experience’ For NCAA Athletes originally published on Total Pro Sports.