It was a heck of a career path for Scottie Pippen, the Hall of Famer who won six titles as Michael Jordan's superstar sidekick with the Chicago Bulls. More than a few decades later, Jalen Williams seems to be on a similar journey,

Jalen Williams' 40-point eruption in Game 5 to lead the Thunder to victory and move them one win away from their first NBA championship was a defining moment in his young career. To that point, he's had the ups-and-downs typical of a young player in the playoffs,

PIPPEN WAS IN the final years of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers by the time Williams, 24, was born. But Williams is enough of a basketball historian to be flattered by the comparison.