Jalen Williams has already seen his star rise this season after earning his first-career All-Star selection, but he has the opportunity to explode if he helps the Oklahoma City Thunder capture their first championship in franchise history. The NBA has its eye on him right now, but not all the reasons are positive.

Following a 125-93 victory versus the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the 24-year-old wore a T-shirt that displayed an obscenity at the postgame press conference. “F**k Art, Let's Dance,” it read. Consequently, the league is fining Williams $25,000 for wearing clothing with profane language, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

One has to wonder why the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft chose such attire. He knows these media sessions are televised. Perhaps Williams simply made a mistake. The suffocating pressure and surreal atmosphere that accompanies a do-or-die clash could certainly cloud the human brain, especially one that belongs to a young player. Whatever mental roadblock or lapse in judgment caused him to violate the NBA's wardrobe policies did not appear to be present in the Paycom Center on Sunday.

Jalen Williams comes through for the Thunder after rough stretch

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After shooting below 20 percent in two of his last three contests and less than 36 percent in the other, Williams came alive in Game 7. He scored 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go with seven assists, five rebounds and one steal. Beyond the stats themselves, the impressive talent helped set the tone in a pivotal second quarter. His breakaway dunks increased the energy inside the arena to ear-splitting levels and contributed to a massive OKC surge.

The No. 1 seed led the Nuggets 60-46 at halftime and did not look back. The Thunder are arguably the deepest squad in the NBA, but they are a true behemoth when Jalen Williams leaves a sizable imprint on the floor. The Minnesota Timberwolves will do their best to prevent presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from single-handedly dominating the game. They may dare the other guys to beat them in the Western Conference Finals.

Williams is no mere “other guy,” however. He will look to reiterate that point. On a given night, No. 8 could lift Oklahoma City to a big win. If that happens moving forward in the 2025 NBA playoffs, all eyes will be fixed on him.

And that means he must be extra cautious when picking out his postgame outfits.