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Jalen Williams fires back at the criticisms of his contract

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 7:05 PM ET

Jalen Williams is taking some time to address the haters this week.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard Williams spoke out on Friday against the criticisms of his large contract with the team. Williams has been facing disparagement all year due to his mediocre 2025-26 season after signing a five-year, $240.7 million extension with the Thunder over the summer.

In the comments section of one particular TikTok post that was ripping him, Williams returned fire at his haters.

“Well actually I got paid bc 3/4 years I’ve been on the team we been first in the nba,” Williams wrote. “I was all nba and all defensive and an allstar last year, tore my shooting wrist off the bone and helped win the city [its] first chip, so that’s where that 247 mil comes into play, the other 20 mil comes from being [a] lottery pick.”

“And to add to this, the NBA signed a 72.9 billion dollar tv contract so everyone contracts are gonna be higher,” Williams added in a separate comment. “if we have the same or less monetary value contracts from 10 years ago the game would not have shown progress and that would be bad.”

Jalen Williams responding to some of the criticisms thrown his way: pic.twitter.com/MuBNSuM14J
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 13, 2026

Williams, still 24, was a major reason for Oklahoma City’s success last season, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. That was good enough for Williams to make his first career All-Star team, secure an All-NBA Third Team nod, and earn an All-Defensive Second Team selection as his team won their first championship of the OKC era.

But Williams, who signed his extension with the team last July, has been limited to just 26 total games played this season due to offseason wrist surgery as well as a subsequent hamstring injury. His numbers are mostly down on the year overall as well with averages of 17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.

After a blistering 24-1 start to the year, the Thunder have gone just 18-13 ever since then. That has made Williams an easy target for criticism, especially since his contract can be worth up to a massive $287 million with incentives. Williams clearly does not appreciate the barbs though and also fired back several months ago at those who were labeling him as “corny.”

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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