All of Cody Williams’ family is in Utah this week. His mom and dad, Nicole and Ron, his sister Jasmine and even his brother, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams.
But, Williams is hoping that the family made their way to Salt Lake City to celebrate him rather than watch the Jazz game on Friday.
Advertisement
“I would like to think it’s because of my birthday,” Williams said with a laugh, moments after the Jazz roster sang Happy Birthday to him at the practice facility. “That’s what I’m gonna go with.”
The second-year Jazz man turned 21 on Thursday and the NBA schedule had a built-in gift for him. On Friday, in an NBA Cup contest, the Jazz will play the Thunder.
It’s not the first time the Williams family has been in town to support the NBA brothers playing against each other. They’ve even had custom, split jerseys made to show their allegiance to both of the Williams’ respective teams.
It’s a nice coincidence that the family gets to be together to celebrate the milestone birthday for the youngest of the Williams’ siblings, even if the basketball situation hasn’t been the greatest for either brother this year.
Advertisement
Jalen has yet to play in the 2025-26 season after having offseason surgery to repair a torn ligament in his wrist.
Cody Williams’ playing time with the Jazz has been irregular this season, having picked up five DNPs through the first 14 games. But, that irregularity hasn’t shaken Williams.
“Just staying prepared with film, my on-court workouts, my preparation,” he said. “I think the biggest part is just the mental part of staying ready and being locked in. So when you go out there, you can have an impact.”
Though the Williams family is certain to get together Thursday night, and Cody is happy to have everyone in town, there weren’t any concrete plans as of Thursday afternoon after Jazz practice. The only thing on the 21-year-old’s mind was making sure he got some rest ahead of a game day.
“I actually don’t know, I’ll call them after (practice) and see what we’re doing,” he said. “But first thing on the agenda is take a nap, and then we’ll go from there.”
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams handles the ball in Game 3 of second-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Dallas. Williams is the older brother of the Utah Jazz’s Cody Williams. | Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press
