Jalen Williams may not have been able to recapture the heights he reached when he dropped 40 in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals, but there is one thing no one can ever take away from him — he is an NBA champion. Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to hold off the Indiana Pacers for one last time, earning a 103-91 win in Game 7 on Sunday night to win the city's first NBA championship.

Williams is quite the major draft-night win for the Thunder. He was drafted by OKC with one of the pick swaps they got from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Paul George trade (12th overall selection in 2022), and he quickly blossomed into one of the brightest young stars in the association, even earning himself an All-Star nod and an All-NBA Third Team selection in 2025.

While star players like Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will draw most of the headlines now that the Thunder have won an NBA championship, this championship belongs to the organization, from top to bottom. Williams would not be here without the work he and the coaching staff put in together since he came over in 2022, and he made sure to honor the contributions of every member of the Thunder organization he could see, as he looked to give each of them their moment with the Larry O'Brien trophy.

JDub makes sure the whole staff gets to touch The Larry O’Brien Trophy 🏆💯

— NBA (@nba.com) 2025-06-23T03:54:11.601Z

This culture of unselfishness and recognizing the contributions of everyone is what sets the Thunder apart, especially for such a young team. General manager Sam Presti expressed just how proud he is of the Thunder players' poise, willingness to sacrifice, and their maturity beyond their years, and Williams embodied that with this wholesome gesture that comes close to being the perfect embodiment of why OKC is so successful.

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Thunder poised to compete for multiple championships

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) makes a heart gesture as the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

There is nothing guaranteed in the NBA. But this Thunder team looks as close of a lock as there is to winning multiple championships, especially when the average age of the roster is 25.6 years, making them the second-youngest championship team in history.

Williams is only 24 years of age. Chet Holmgren is only 23. Gilgeous-Alexander will just be turning 27 in July. The Thunder roster will get very expensive soon but they have so many draft picks in the pipeline that could help replenish the roster with the young talent it needs to keep on competing even as some of their role players get priced out of their range.