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Recent Manila visitor Isaiah Joe and his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Jaylin Williams have a friendship that goes way, way back.
It’s extremely rare that high school teammates win an NBA championship together for the same team. In fact, Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams might actually be the first duo to accomplish this.
LeBron James and J.R. Smith were teammates on the AAU circuit when they were in high school, and both went on to win an NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. But as far as being teammates on the same high school team, Joe and Williams are in one of one.
The two teamed up in 2018 to lead Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to the Class 7A state final. They fell short of winning their first championship together, but seven years later, they would be celebrating together on the floor of the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City after the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers for the 2025 NBA title.
“I mean, it’s so special because we’ve been close for a long time,” Joe told The GAME during an exclusive interview last week during his Manila visit. “We’ve known each other, our families have known each other.
“I mean, just to see how somebody grows over the course of years as a person and as a player, and just to see how hard work pays off, it’s really cool to see. And the best part, obviously, is the fact that we’re on the same team, which is very rare. And I don’t think it’s fully going to set in for quite some time, but we always talk about it.”
The bond between Joe and Williams, nicknamed “J-Will,” does run deep, so much so that they would find themselves reminiscing even during games.
“We’ll be in the middle of a game sometimes, and I’d be like, ‘Jay, you remember when this happened in high school?’ Or I’ll be like, ‘Jay, you remember when this happened in high school or college or something like that?’ And it’s cool because the fact that we can enjoy those moments together makes it even better. And then our families are there as well. Our families are at all the games.
“And so, memories on top of memories are made. And the fact that we can date back all the way to before high school, it makes it very, very, very good.”
Now, their core memory is winning an NBA championship together and the celebration that followed.
“Our first celebration was right after the buzzer went off and everybody was excited and just enjoying the moment,” Joe recalled. “For me, my favorite part was being able to celebrate my family. Whenever they came onto the court, I saw them, we got emotional, teared up and all that. That night, we went out to eat, celebrate with the guys.
“It was a lot of fun. Yeah, we definitely made the most out of it.”
The Thunder and the Pacers are both so-called “small market teams”, away from the usual coverage of mainstream media. But for Isaiah Joe, it’s a clear sign of parity in the league.
“It just shows how everybody’s here to compete. Anybody in the right state can be really, really good. And right coaching, right culture, right players will have a possibility. It can be possible to win a championship. And I think they showed that.
“They (the Pacers) actually played a very similar game of basketball as us. I mean, they were deep into the bench, played together, played fast, good defense. And so, it just shows no matter small market, big market, everybody is here for a reason. And everybody’s here to win. And they showed that.”
What’s scary for the rest of the league is that the Thunder posted a 68-14 regular season record despite star center Chet Holmgren missing significant time due to a hip injury. A healthy Holmgren, teamed with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and budding star Jalen Williams (called “J-Dub” to avoid confusion), is a frightening thought for the 29 other teams.
“Chet is just, he’s the definition of a hooper,” Joe said. “He just loves to hoop, no matter when he can do it, where he can do it. He walks around with a basketball with him all the time.
“He’s just the embodiment of basketball.”
With the 2025-26 season just several weeks away and the Thunder set to begin their title defense, Joe understands what they will be up against.
“I think now that we’ve won, the target on our back is going to be even bigger. So, we have to be able to realize the beauty of the beast. We have to understand that even though we won this championship, nothing carries over to next season. It’s a new slate. Everything is 0-0.
“We have to be as hungry or even more hungry than we were last season to make it possible again because we’re going to get teams’ best shots now. They know what we’re capable of. And the last thing you want a team to do is repeat a win. So, nobody wants us to win. And we have to understand that and go out there and take games like we did last season.”
Banner Images from NBA Philippines
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