OKLAHOMA CITY – While wearing custom earrings with pictures of Oklahoma City Thunder center Jaylin Williams on them, a smiling Linda Williams sat in the family section after her son’s team won its first game of the NBA Finals late Sunday night. An adoring fan approached her with hopes of getting a picture.
“My wife is Asian and she is a big fan of your son and of yours. Would you mind if I took a picture of you to send to her?” the fan asked after the Thunder’s 123-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
“But of course,” Linda Williams said.
Jaylin Williams has become quite popular among Asian NBA fans since he became the first of Vietnamese descent to join the league when he was drafted by the Thunder in 2022.
Linda Williams said the NBA made sure her son’s Vietnamese heritage was accurate with her prior to him being drafted in the second round by the Thunder in 2022. She was born in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam, to a Vietnamese mother and a white Air Force airman. Williams, two siblings and her mother moved from Vietnam to the United States in 1975 after the Vietnam War.
Marc J. Spears
Marc J. Spears
“I came to the United States in 1975 when I was only 4 years old,” Linda Williams said. “I became a naturalized American citizen when I was 6. I really have been here all her life.”
Now in the NBA Finals with the world watching, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Jaylin Williams made history by becoming the first player of Vietnamese descent to play in the Finals. Popular social media sites like Asian Feed, The Rebel Yellow, NextShark and 12.inthemorning, which have Vietnamese translation, made mention of that history.
“I’m super surprised that there wasn’t one before him and incredibly proud that he is the first,” Linda Williams said. “Hearing the news that he was the first-ever made me smile. He was shocked. I was shocked. It was a very amazing thing.”
Said Jaylin Williams, 22, to Andscape: “I know it and respect it. I want to learn more about it. I want to go to Vietnam one day. I wouldn’t say I’m super connected to it, but I want to get more into that side. …
“I’m getting a lot of support. I’m very appreciative of it.”
Linda Williams said her mother never taught her Vietnamese, but she can understand it. Linda and her mother have not returned to Vietnam since leaving in 1975. Both live near Fayetteville, Arkansas, which is close to the University of Arkansas, where her son starred in college. He has never been to Vietnam.
Both mother and son expressed interest in making a trip there soon.
“I’ve talked about going back,” Linda Williams said. “My mom lives with me now. She always has wanted to go back as well, but she hasn’t been back since ’75. She has dementia now, so it will be a challenge to bring her back. My husband and I think about going. But I’m teaching high school, so taking the time now is tough.
“My brother and I talked about going in December. But we don’t have any plans. But I would love to. I don’t know when Jaylin can go. He’s really busy.”
Said Jaylin Williams: “My grandmama on my mom’s side is a little small Vietnamese lady. You can barely understand her English. My mom, she knows a little bit of Vietnamese. We ate Vietnamese food all the time. We ate a lot of Pho.
“I always wanted to learn some Vietnamese. Of course, I never did. I want to go to Vietnam one day. That is one of my bucket-list things.”
Thousands of Vietnamese refugees actually settled in Oklahoma City after the fall of Saigon in 1975. There are about 30,000 Oklahomans who have Vietnamese roots, according to a story about the Vietnamese Asian community in 2023 by The Oklahoman newspaper.
It is not uncommon for Vietnamese and Asian fans to attend Thunder games wearing Jaylin Williams jerseys and for them to approach her and her son for pictures and autographs, Linda Williams said.
“The Vietnamese community here has been so gracious,” Linda Williams said. “They call me family here. [Season-ticket holder] Long Tran calls me Cuz when he sees me. You see so many Vietnamese fans with Jaylin’s jersey on. They reach out to him on Instagram. And here, they take selfies with me. It’s been really delightful to be with the fan base here.”
Said Jaylin Williams: “A lot of times an Asian kid will have my name on the back on their jersey and say, ‘I’m Vietnamese.’ It’s just cool. It’s always super dope to see people you inspire. That’s what it is all about.”
Jaylin Williams grew up in predominately white Fort Smith, Arkansas, which was about 20% Hispanic, 9% Black and 6% Asian. He said he grew up primarily around Black people, but his racial heritage – which includes African American, Vietnamese and Caucasian – is “who I am.”
Jaylin’s parents said the third-year NBA player didn’t face major racial issues during his childhood in Arkansas. Jaylin said it was “super cool” being multi-racial growing up, but he dealt with racial jokes and issues that were not long-lasting. He said he probably faced more issues with his height and size at a young age than being multi-ethnic.
“Everyone, I believe, was very kind,” said Linda Williams, who stands 5-9 and played high school basketball. “Jaylin was an anomaly. He was very tall. If you look at his elementary school pictures, he was always the tallest and the youngest in the group. When he was playing church league baseball, I always used to bring his birth certificate because some of the teams didn’t believe he was so big.”
Logan Riely /NBAE via Getty Images
“I always made sure he knew who he was and that he was a happy child. I didn’t put much stock in emphasizing that you’re white, Black or Asian. You need to be a good kid and a good man. Accept who you are and know that you may be different, but special different. It was not a hard thing because our household was very mixed. It was really easy for him to adapt.”
Said Jaylin Williams’ father Michael to Andscape: “Jaylin never got teased. That happy go-lucky kid you see right there, he’s always great with everybody.”
Jaylin Williams also offered mixed-race kids like him struggling with their identity or facing issues a few words of wisdom.
“If someone is making fun of you for something, it’s because they want to be you,” Williams said. “That’s how I looked at it my whole life, especially now when people say negative things to me or make fun of me. I think they’d rather be in my position. So, just tune out the noise and do what you’re supposed to do and everything will work out.”
In 47 games for the Thunder in the regular season, Williams averaged 5.9 points and 5.6 rebounds. After getting decent minutes in the first two playoff rounds, he has played sparingly in the Western Conference finals and in the NBA Finals. Williams didn’t play in the Game 1 loss of the NBA Finals and scored three points in two minutes late in Game 2.
Williams and the Thunder play Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Indianapolis on Wednesday (ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET). It will be the first NBA Finals game in Indiana since 2000. With his Vietnamese fans watching intently worldwide, Williams says he will be ready for whatever his role is by maintaining the same daily regimen of getting shots up, treatment, and staying locked into the game plan.
“The mentality is next game,” Williams said. “It’s 1-1. First team to four.”
Linda Williams grew up in Hammond, Indiana, but she grew up rooting for the Chicago Bulls. Now she’s a devout Thunder fan, proud of what her son has done as an NBA player and what he represents.
“I love her. That’s my mama,” Jaylin Williams said. “She is always going to support.”
