Scottie Pippen Hypes Thunder's Jalen Williams, 'I See Him Being Greater' Than Me
Chicago Bulls legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen paid Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams the ultimate compliment ahead of Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Pippen is one of the all-time greats with seven All-Star selections and six NBA championships alongside Michael Jordan to his credit, and he told ESPN's Tim MacMahon this week that he sees himself in Williams, saying:
"He is pretty special. I'm enjoying watching him. I see a lot of me in him for sure. I see a guy rising to be one of the top players in this league. He's definitely a player that is capable of being able to lead that franchise to multiple championships—him and Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], of course."
While Pippen believes there are parallels between himself and Williams, he also went so far as to say he believes Williams has what it takes to surpass him:
"I don't even want to put a cap on him to say that he's going to be me. I see him being greater, if I can say that. Just because of where the game is today. They have offensive freedom. We didn't have that. We mostly ran out of a system. These guys have the freedom to shoot 3-balls and things of that nature. Players that are playing in today's game have a chance to be better than players in the past because of the ability to shoot the ball.
"If this kid continues to shoot the 3-ball the way that he shoots it, I'm not going to sit here and argue with nobody and say that you can compare us. Because you can't. He wins."
Williams, 24, has shown steady improvement throughout his three-year NBA career, and he has been at his best during the playoffs.
He finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting in 2022-23 and took his game to another level in 2023-24 before earning his first All-Star nod this season.
As a key contributor for a Thunder team that had the NBA's best record at 68-14, Williams averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals per contest, all of which were career highs.
Gilgeous-Alexander has received much of the credit for OKC's success since he is the reigning NBA MVP, but the Thunder likely wouldn't be one victory away from a championship without Williams.
Over 21 postseason games, Williams is averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 three-pointers made and 1.4 steals, and his best performance came in the biggest game to date.
In Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday, Williams dropped a game-high 40 points on the Indiana Pacers to go along with six rebounds and four assists, giving the Thunder a 120-109 win and a 3-2 series lead.
Williams and the Thunder have a chance to close things out Thursday night in Indianapolis if they can beat the Pacers in Game 6.
If the Thunder win, it will mark their first championship since moving to Oklahoma City, and the franchise's first title since the Seattle SuperSonics won it all in 1979.
Depending on how he fares Thursday, Williams has a chance to add NBA Finals MVP to his résumé, which is something Pippen never achieved. However, Gilgeous-Alexander has a strong claim to the accolade as well.
