Last night, University of Arkansas star Jaylin Williams held back tears as the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the 34th overall pick of this year’s NBA Draft.
“This is just the beginning,” Williams told supporters at Bud Walton Stadium after his selection was announced.
This past season, the 6-foot-10-inch and 240-pound power forward was a critical piece to a Razorbacks squad that reached the Elite Eight during the NCAA Men’s Division 1 basketball tournament.
Williams racked up All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive honors while logging 364 rebounds — a single-season record at Arkansas.
While this year’s draft pool was loaded with Asian talent, with players such as fellow Vietnamese American standout UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, Filipino phenom Kai Sotto, South Korean Hyunjung Lee of Davidson and China’s Fanbo Zeng, Williams was the only basketball player of Asian descent to be drafted.
Feature image via Arkansas Razorbacks
