Vietnamese-origin basketball star hits scorching three-pointers, sets new personal record in NBA

Another excellent game for the Vietnamese-origin star with the reigning champion of the NBA.

Vietnamese-American basketball player - Jaylin Williams made a major contribution to help his team Oklahoma City Thunder defeat Denver Nuggets 129-126 in a regular season game of the NBA 2025-2026 season on March 30, Hanoi time.

Williams was given maximum opportunity to showcase himself with 40/48 minutes of play - the most in the game, equal to star Nikola Jokic of Nuggets. The forward born in 2002 scored 29 points with an extremely impressive efficiency of 58.8%, including 7/11 successful three-point shots - a new personal record for the Vietnamese-origin player.

Additionally, "J-Will" also had 12 rebounds to complete a "double-double", along with 3 assists and 2 successful blocks. He was the third highest scorer in the game after his outstanding teammate - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 points) and Nikola Jokic (32 points).

At OKC, Jaylin Williams is a backup option for both the main forward and center positions for Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. In this game, both "big men" were absent, Jaylin maximized the opportunity to shine. In fact, whenever Holmgren or Hartenstein is missing, the Vietnamese-origin star performs very well.

The excellent performance of Jaylin and "SGA" helped OKC secure the win, raising their head-to-head record against Denver Nuggets this season to 3-0. The reigning NBA champion currently has 51 wins and 15 losses, firmly atop the Western Conference standings. In the last 10 games, "J-Will" and his teammates have won 9.

Jaylin Williams was born in 2002, with a Vietnamese grandmother who moved to and settled in Arkansas, USA. He cherishes the Vietnamese blood within him, enjoys eating pho, and has expressed a desire to visit Vietnam to meet fans and explore the culture.

He was brought to Oklahoma City Thunder as the 34th pick, second round of the NBA Draft 2022 and had a period of regularly starting due to Chet Holmgren's injury. Jaylin contributed significantly to OKC's NBA championship last season, and also became the first Vietnamese-origin basketball player to win this prestigious tournament.