There’s a certain irony baked into the NBA Western Conference Finals that Razorback fans won’t soon forget.
Fort Smith natives Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams, former Arkansas teammates and reigning NBA champions with Oklahoma City. just spent seven games trying to knock the San Antonio Spurs out of the playoffs.
Instead, the Spurs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals.
And riding on that bus to the championship round is Corliss Williamson, the man they call Big Nasty, doing it all as an assistant on San Antonio’s bench.
It’s an Arkansas story with a twist. Two Hogs chased a repeat title. Another Hog helped end their run.
Williamson’s path from Fayetteville to the Finals
Williamson doesn’t exactly need an introduction in Arkansas.
The Russellville native played for the Razorbacks from 1992 to 1995, won a national championship in 1994 and started on the team that returned to the title game the following year.
After a decorated college career, Williamson was taken in the first round by the Sacramento Kings and spent 11 seasons in the league.
His biggest on-court moment came in 2004 when he won a championship ring with the Detroit Pistons, giving him championship experience from both sides of the bench heading into this series.
The ex-Hogs on the other sideline
Joe and Williams aren’t just casual connections to Arkansas.
They grew up in Fort Smith, won state titles at Northside High School and each suited up for the Razorbacks before reuniting in Oklahoma City.
Joe played for Arkansas from 2018 to 2020, Williams from 2020 to 2022. They weren’t college teammates, but the Thunder brought them back together and they’ve been there ever since.
Last June, both were part of Oklahoma City’s first NBA championship in franchise history, beating the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
This season, the defending champion Thunder finished 64-18 and again earned the top seed in the West.
They swept Phoenix in the first round and dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers in the second before running into San Antonio and dropping a seven-game series.
Now they’re watching the Finals from home while Williamson’s coaching staff preps for New York.
From player to sideline — the long road back
Williamson’s coaching career is a study in persistence.
After his playing days ended, he took an assistant position at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock and eventually became head coach there before taking over at Central Arkansas in 2010.
His NBA coaching career began in 2013 with the Kings, then continued under Frank Vogel in Orlando and Igor Kokoskov in Phoenix, each connection stemming from a former playing relationship.
After the Suns stint ended, he stepped away from the pro game and came home to coach Little Rock Christian while his son Creed was playing there.
“My main goal after I came back from Phoenix was to get both of my boys through high school, and then figure out what’s next,” Williamson told Best of Arkansas Sports in October 2022. “It’s hard to not go back, and over the last few years I’ve had plenty of opportunities to take jobs and go back, but I’m staying committed to finishing this process with my sons.”
One ring as a player, now chasing one as a coach
Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, Williamson takes his spot on the Spurs bench for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks.
He already knows what a championship feels like. Now he’s got a shot at another, this time wearing a headset instead of a jersey.
Joe and Williams know that feeling too, having earned their rings just 12 months ago. The difference is they’re done for the season.
Big Nasty’s still playing, but just a different way.
