Jalen Williams Hits Out After His Kobe Bryant Tribute Is Roasted

Jalen Williams posted a tribute to Kobe Bryant while recovering from his hand injury, which he played through during the NBA Finals.

Jalen Williams Hits Out After His Kobe Bryant Tribute Is Roasted

Jalen Williams, Kobe Bryant (FS Image)

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It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Kobe Bryant is the most influential player ever. The Lakers legend was a fan favorite in the entire decade of the noughties and inspired a whole generation of players. His work ethic, dedication to his craft and competitive streak made him a compelling watch. There are many players who came to the NBA by modeling their skills after his, including 2025 NBA champion Jalen Williams.

Jalen ‘JDub’ Williams was the OKC Thunder’s second best player on their way to the team’s first NBA title. Playing only his third NBA season, JDub resembled 99-00 Kobe Bryant in a lot of ways. He earned an All-Defensive team selection and was his team’s second best scorer during the playoff run. JDub can guard multiple positions and lock them down. Despite only being 6’6″, he also played as the team’s small ball center.

The OKC Thunder took full advantage of his talents, having taken a chance on him and drafted him in 2022. He was seen even then as a polished player for his age, and his draft day slide was inexplicable to many experts. Among the main criticisms that experts had about his game were his handle and his passing. JDub spent considerable time and energy on improving these, and the results are there for all to see.

Jalen Williams has openly confessed to idolizing the Lakers legend and five-time champion in several interviews. He even wears the #8 jersey for the OKC Thunder based on Bryant’s first Lakers jersey.

He posted a tweet on Thursday night showing himself wearing track pants while standing at a free throw line for practice. This was reminiscent of a famous Kobe Bryant pic from his Lakers threepeat days, which JDub posted on his tweet to show that he was paying tribute and emulating that same picture.

His tweet received scores of replies, many of whom claimed that JDub is not deserving of comparisons to his idol. Undaunted by the vitriol, Jalen Williams posted an edit of a famous quote from Brian Scalabrine, in which he tells high school players on the come-up that he’s closer to LeBron James than those players are to him. Williams’ edited version uses Kobe Bryant in the same caption instead of James.

Jalen Williams has the opportunity to be at the center of something special in Oklahoma City

The OKC Thunder front office and GM Sam Presti rewarded the incoming 4th year player with a whopping $287 million supermax contract extension. Presti also signed Chet Holmgren to a max contract, locking in SGA, Jalen Williams and the former No. 2 pick to the franchise till the 2030-31 NBA season. While there may later be concerns around the trio taking up too much cap space, they have richly earned these contracts.

Jalen Williams
Jalen Williams (Credits: MARCA)

Jalen Williams himself has immense scope to improve his gameplay and reach further levels of the game. Although he’s already recognized as one of the game’s premier defensive players, Williams can up his play on that end even more and become one of the league’s true lockdown wing defenders.

On offense, Jalen Williams displays a smooth, mean scoring streak and shooting touch. He also has a good feel for the game and is among the best drive-and-kick players as a secondary option on any team. He can improve his shooting, his finishing at the rim and his decision-making, although all three of these aspects of his game are already at a high level of refinement.

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