Arkansas natives competing in NBA’s Western Conference Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY — If you’re a fan of high school basketball in Arkansas and happened to turn on the NBA’s Western Conference Finals, you may have seen a pair of familiar faces.

“I see those guys out on the floor playing extremely well. You know, it just makes me feel good for them because of all the hard work they put in,” Eric Burnett, former head coach of the Northside Grizzlies said.

Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe are both doing their best to help the Oklahoma City Thunder get past the Minnesota Timberwolves and into the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

“It’s awesome to see kids succeed, I mean, in everything, in every aspect of life, it’s great to see it. But when you have two guys that have had the success they have, and now lead a team into, hopefully, the NBA Finals,” Chris Reeder, Director of Operations at the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Smith said.

However, this is far from the start of their story together. Jaylin and Isaiah have played together since youth basketball at the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Smith, in high school at Northside, in college at the University of Arkansas, and now at the highest level in Oklahoma City. That long history gives plenty of people a reason to tune in.

“To have the opportunity to play for an NBA team and it’s the team closest to us means that everybody who’s watched them grow up gets to see them now. It brings a lot of excitement. There are a lot of people who aren’t huge NBA fans, but they’re seeing them on the court now and saying, ‘those are our kids. Those are our Fort Smith kids,’” Reeder said.

And they’re making sure to represent their city proudly, not just on the court, but off it as well.

For Burnett, he’s more impressed by their character than their skills on the court.

“When the NBA coaches called me, the first thing I would talk about is they’re high-character guys. You never have to worry about them. You ask them to do something, and they’re going to do it. They’re not going to question anything. They’re always going to do it with a great attitude.”

Even if that request means doing something tough — like going toe-to-toe with one of the best players in the world, Nikola Jokic.

“Oh, Jaylin — whenever he was checking into the game and coming down the court, he would always hit him with his chest. And I don’t think the Joker really liked that, but I think Jaylin got in his head. Every time the ball was shot, he was boxing him out so he wouldn’t get to the board when he was trying to post him,” Burnett added.

As for Reeder, he knows Jaylin and Isaiah’s success will inspire the next generation.

“Every kid that walks through these doors can be something in their life. If they dream it, they can do it. And they’re both examples of that — whether it’s playing in the NBA or Major League Baseball or being a doctor or an attorney — they know they can set goals and go get them, just like Jaylin and Isaiah did.”