Fresh off an NBA Finals that prominently featured West Coast Conference representation, Stu Jackson wanted to add to its momentum. The WCC Commissioner brainstormed an idea ahead of the conference’s basketball Media Day.

The West Coast Conference reached out to Jalen Williams for narration purposes. It’s one of the many sidequests that an NBA champion goes through in a summer filled with celebration. The Oklahoma City Thunder captured an NBA championship with him being the second-best player and an All-NBA talent.

“We Rise in the West” is the conference’s motto for this upcoming season. Jackson wanted Williams to voice the commercial. He was surprised by his generosity. The small-time conference couldn’t back up the Brink’s trucks, but the 23-year-old was still enthusiastic to help his stomping grounds.

“We couldn’t have had a better representative than Jalen,” Jackson said to Thunder Wire. “As a Santa Clara alum and an NBA champion.”

Anybody who’s kept up with the NBA over the last year should know Williams’ story. Hidden away at Santa Clara, he spent three college seasons there before he became the No. 12 pick of the 2022 NBA draft. He served as quite the juxtaposition to most modern lottery picks who go one-and-done at a blueblood school with notoriety around their name.

While Jackson just missed Williams’ time at Santa Clara — he was named WCC Commissioner in 2023 — he understands what his improbable rise to an All-NBA talent does. It boosts the WCC’s reputation. It shows there are other pathways to follow to basketball success outside of the obvious ones, like going to Duke for a year.

“I’m very close to his collegiate coach Herb Sendek, who I’ve known for close to 40 years,” Jackson said. “He speaks extremely highly of Jalen as a person and his work ethic, and you know his ability to persevere. That’s sorta my one degree of separation from Jalen.”

So, what does rising in the West exactly mean? While the motto itself is pretty self-explanatory, Jackson said there’s a hidden meaning behind it. They added layers to the word ‘rise’ by using it as an acronym — Regional Identity; Innovative Approach; Student-Athlete Wellness; Excellence.

“I think this is important, when we outreached to Jalen’s representation, he sent back an instant yes,” Jackson said. “That he would do this video for us. We offered him compensation. It wasn’t a lot, but he did it pro bono.”

There’s probably no busier job in the sports world than being a commissioner. Still, Jackson said he had time to keep up with the 2025 NBA Finals. It was one of the more entertaining championship series in recent memory. The Thunder and Indiana Pacers played a Game 7 for the first time at that stage since 2016.

Considering Williams went to Santa Clara and Chet Holmgren went to Gonzaga, Jackson had some rooting interest to see the Thunder bring home the Larry O’Brien. Especially with his prior relationship with OKC GM Sam Presti. Before going to college, he previously spent time in the NBA as a player, coach and the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations — which is a league official whose duties included penalizing players for on-court misconduct.

During his time in that spot, Jackson said the NBA league office challenged Presti. And vice versa, as Presti challenged the league office. A decade-long relationship gave both a unique look at one another.

“I just wasn’t surprised. I had an opportunity to work for over a decade with Sam Presti. I knew back then, and I know now, and it’s been confirmed, they’re one of the best organizations in the NBA,” Jackson said. “So when they won the championship, personally happy for the Thunder, but certainly not surprised that they reached the pinnacle.”