“I’ve been able to be fortunate enough to retire my parents” – Jalen Williams on how his life has changed since entering the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Jalen Williams went from unknown draft prospect to lottery pick, then became an All-Star and is now an NBA champion, all in a span of just three years. The whirlwind culminated in Williams signing a massive five-year rookie max extension deal worth up to $287 million with the Oklahoma City Thunder a couple of days ago.
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With so many good things happening so fast, “J-Dub” says everything has yet to sink in, but admits that his life has taken a 180-degree turn since entering the NBA.
“It’s surreal because it happened really fast,” said Williams. “Like, within the span of 3 years, my life is completely different. But yeah, it’s cool. I’ve been fortunate enough to retire my parents. I mean, there’s just been like a lot going on, like my brother got into the NBA two years after I did. It’s been a lot of things that I still have to take in. Obviously, winning a championship, the contract extension, my brother getting drafted.”
Both of his parents served in the Air Force
Jalen was born to Ronald and Nicole Williams, who both served in the U.S. Air Force and met while playing basketball at the academy. His dad was a jet engine mechanic for 24 years, while his mom was a nurse in the service for a dozen years.
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Many media outlets are reporting that Jalen retired his parents after signing his big contract extension, but that is not the case. Both had already retired before the Thunder won the 2025 NBA title.
Nicole was the first to leave the service, as she temporarily moved to Salt Lake City to be with Jalen’s little brother Cody, who was drafted 10th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Ronald soon followed, and both parents eventually ended up watching Jalen drop 40 in the 2025 NBA Finals last month.
J-Dub plans to reward himself with a vacation
With a rookie contract of $20 million in 2022, he could afford to retire his parents long before the $287 million, and that’s what happened.
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As for the massive extension deal, Jalen clarified that it isn’t going to take effect until next year, so he isn’t going to do any crazy stuff, at least not yet. Williams, however, has an idea of how he’s going to celebrate after signing his super max.
“I like going to Japan. Like, I went last year. I’m going to go again this year. I’m looking forward to that. I’m going to go shop out in Japan and do some damage, clothing-wise. Buy some clothes. I don’t really have anything like crazy. My contract extension don’t hit until next year. I got to wait till next year to do anything crazy,” he added.
Williams doesn’t seem like the type of player to spend recklessly and waste his fortune. Coming from a military background, it’s obvious in the way he talks that J-Dub is disciplined and grounded. He might buy a Bugatti or some fancy car, as TMZ joked about, but you know he’s going to spend that $287 million wisely because not only is he a smart basketball player, he is a smart young man who was raised well.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.