Kevin Durant handed Jalen Williams his 'Welcome to the NBA' moment in return to OKC

It only took Jalen Williams three seasons to reach the individual heights of an All-NBA nod and team heights of a championship ring. Before graduating into one of the best defensive players in the league, the 24-year-old had to go through some growing pains in his rookie season.

Reflecting on his rookie season, Williams had a handful of humbling moments that showed how star-studded the NBA was. The 24-year-old recently appeared on the "Out The Mud" podcast with Zach Randolph and Tony Allen to talk about it.

On the podcast, Williams was asked the age-old question of his first 'Welcome to the NBA' moment. Getting cooked by Kawhi Leonard was the first memory that popped into his head. He later brought up another one-on-one session with an all-time great.

After being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns, one of Kevin Durant's early games with his new squad was against his former home. It's always must-watch TV when Durant is back in OKC. In this instance, an Apr. 2023 regular-season matchup turned Williams into a background character.

Williams recalled being matched up against Durant. A rookie wing defending the future Hall-of-Famer is always a recipe for a disastrous outcome. Soaking in all of the boos and trash talk, Durant torched Williams with difficult bucket after difficult bucket.

Durant finished with 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting. The Suns cruised to a double-digit point win over the young Thunder that eventually lost in the play-in tournament that season. Three years later, Williams reflected on that memory with fondness.

"KD coming back. He hadn't played in OKC a little bit. He was in OKC and was wilding," Williams said. "Fans chirping at him and KD talked back. He was talking to the fans while bumping me. Shooting over me. It was horrible, bro."

The learning experience helped Williams grow as a defender. His versatility and rim protection helped the Thunder this past season to become one of the greatest defenses the NBA has ever seen. They leaned on that side of the ball en route to a historic season that finished with a championship.

Jalen Williams reflects on his rookie season:

"We played the Clippers, we beat them. Kawhi had a horrible game... But we played a back-to-back. He started the game 9-of-9 on me... Mark was like, 'He's busting your ass Jalen, you need to switch?'"

(via @OutTheMudTL) pic.twitter.com/KA8cusStmQ

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 28, 2025

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Kevin Durant handed Jalen Williams his 'Welcome to the NBA' moment