Jalen Williams would have preferred to avoid surgery on his wrist, but the Oklahoma City Thunder star is making the most of it if he has to.
Williams recreated an iconic photo of Kobe Bryant and shared it on social media Thursday. The photo shows Williams in pajama pants holding a basketball in his good hand while his right wrist is wrapped up, as if he is about to shoot anyway.
Williams captioned the photo with a simple “8,” a nod to the number he wears in honor of Bryant.
— therealjalenwilliams (@jdubwttp) July 24, 2025
The original photo of Bryant was taken in November 1999, when the basketball icon was rehabbing a hand injury he had suffered during that preseason. Bryant missed the first 15 games of that season, but went on to average 22.5 points per game en route to the first of three consecutive titles he won with the Lakers from 2000 to 2002.
Williams recently underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. He played through the injury during the Thunder’s title run, and while there were some poor showings, he looked largely unbothered by the issue as he averaged 21.4 points throughout the postseason.
It is far too soon to tell if Williams can come anywhere close to Bryant’s individual and team accomplishments. He did average 21.6 points per game during the regular season and is already a rising star at the age of 24.
