Vietnamese-born player Jaylin Williams established a career-high in the NBA, thanking Vietnamese fans on the occasion of the new year

Taking place at Paycom Center - the yard of the Oklahoma City Thunder - today is not only the competition of the home team against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, but also a series of activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

On this occasion, Thunder's media team interviewed the first Vietnamese-born player to be drafted in the NBA, Jaylin Williams. Bigman, born in 2002, shared how overwhelmed he was when he received love from fans, especially those who loved him from Vietnam.

“Honestly, at first I didn't know about the story of being the first Vietnamese-born player to be drafted into the NBA. When I decided to sign up for the NBA Draft, information about the possibility of being selected and the story of the first Vietnamese-born player began to appear," Jaylin Williams recounted.

“At that time, many fans, especially in Vietnam, began to tag me in posts, encouraging and supporting me mentally. Even many famous people with large followings send messages of encouragement and congratulations to me.

What I value most is the fact that they always say 'we are with you'. It always makes me feel so happy and grateful. The love and support of Vietnamese fans makes me extremely touched," the first Vietnamese-born player to set foot in the NBA shared.

Competing against the reigning NBA champion, Jaylin Williams came on from the bench. He played 18 minutes, scored 12 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and added 1 block. Unfortunately, the Thunder could not surprise the Warriors even though they eliminated the longest gap of up to 21 points.

This is the 17th NBA game of this Vietnamese-born player from the beginning of the season, which includes 6 matches in the starting lineup. The number of 12 points is currently Jaylin's career-high in the Regular Season NBA 2022-23.