Oklahoma City Thunder star forward Jalen Williams will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist and will be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season, general manager Sam Presti announced Monday.
“It’s not an injury that people have a problem recovering from,” Presti said at his end-of-season news conference Monday. “It’s pretty common.”
Jalen Williams Could Be Ready In Time For Training Camp
Presti said Williams suffered the injury late in the regular season against the Phoenix Suns in the second game of a back-to-back. The 24-year-old should be available in time for training camp.
“The part that I’m most impressed with is in our modern era, when someone has a poor performance, or they’re not playing to their capability in a game and there’s a lot of tension on it, you often see little birdie make sure that everybody knows that the player is not 100%,” Presti said.
Sam Presti announces Jalen Williams will have surgery on his wrist which is an injury he suffered in the regular season in Phoenix and he played two months with a ligament tear in his wrist.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) June 30, 2025
“Never happened with this guy, not one time. He powered through, he showed incredible mental endurance and security in himself,” Presti added.
“And I’ve said this many times, the best players are secure players. And I really thought to the true professor that he just kept moving along with no excuses, and honestly, playing best basketball.”
Last season, Williams was OKC’s key No. 2 behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He became a first-time NBA All-Star, averaging career highs of 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in 69 appearances.
In addition, the third-year breakout star earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He also averaged 21.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during the playoffs.
Williams Eligible To Sign Five-Year, $247 Million Extension
After the Thunder clinched their best record in the NBA for the first time in franchise history, Williams stepped up in the postseason, helping OKC capture its first title since relocating from Seattle ahead of the 2008-09 season.
However, the Santa Clara product struggled in the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, averaging 17.6 points on just 37.5% shooting.
But he bounced back in the Western Conference finals versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, posting 22.2 points per game while shooting 49.4% from the field.
In the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Williams averaged 23.6 points and shot 43.3% from the floor to go with 5.0 boards and 3.7 dimes per contest. The former first-rounder scored a playoff-career-high 40 points in Game 5.
Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Williams is eligible for to sign an extension of his rookie contract this offseason worth as much as $247 million over five years with potential supermax escalators that could increase the value to $296 million.
